I feel like I need a break from a galaxy far, far away, so have moved over to a Grim Dark one instead (break from Star Wars, onto 40K). Long time readers of the blog might remember I have a Kroot army, and I fancied doing some work on this. I currently have 4 squads left to finish, the hound pack, the Krootox herd, the Vulture Kindred, and the Knarloc herd. I currently have the parts for the Vulture kindred, just need to finish the conversions, but need about another 24 Kroot to finish the other squads. I had a quick look on GW site, and the plastic box set is still out of stock, and ebay prices have gone silly, so will have to keep my eye out in the meantime. Two things I know I want to include is an albino as a shaper, and some female Kroot, as I have a lot of spare heads, I decided to do a test paint for the above. for the Albino, it looks a bit like a Cockatoo, but as that's a bird that's not a bad thing. For the Female, I didn't want to go the route of stick some breasts on it, as these creatures evolved from birds, I've gone with a muted colour scheme and less plumage, following birds in nature.
The next thing I've done is the Shaper for the Knarloc squad, now I don't have the Knarlocs that Forgeworld released, as I didn't get them while they were available (always had other bits I wanted to buy first ! LOL) so using some eagles I already had I made Great Crested Knarloc's. The shaper was made from greenstuff, except the arms, head, and accessories. Still have another 3 troopers to do, but need to get hold of some plastic Kroot to make this job quicker and easier.
Still working on some other bits, so will probably be more Kroot in the next post, so until next time stay safe and have fun !
Cheers Dave
Lovely stuff, Dave, the colours on the wings really pop and add a ton of visual interest and I like the way you did different shades on their undersides. The whole thing looks great on that base!
ReplyDeleteThank you Matt, wanted a very tropical feel, to match in with the Kroot, but like to do a paler underside on birds like you see on a lot of birds. Trying to do scenic bases that hide how the model is supported but still give a sense of flight.
DeleteNice to see you going back to this project Dave as I always enjoy your different idea's for conversions.
ReplyDeleteAgree 100% about ebay prices these days, I know GW's prices are high but some of the eBay prices make them look cheap 😢
Great work as usual mate and look forward to seeing more 👍😊
Thank you Frank, it's the army that sits closest to my desk, so it's always in sight, and as it is so close to being finished, really wanted to press on with it. Ebay at times defies belief, saw a 3D print of a female Kroot ( yes the had stuck breasts on it !) and they wanted £45 ! Just will have to hope GW bring them back in stock soon ! LOL
DeleteHoping to have the hound Shaper finished for Monday's post, so working hard on them, also have some larger creations on the desk as well, so should have enough to keep me going for a little while.
Great Crested Knarloc? Not the Lesser Spotted variant or perhaps the Slenderbilled?
ReplyDeleteI jest. :)
Love how vibrant it looks! A unit of these will certainly stand out on the battlefield as they swoop down on their prey.
Thank you Dai, I can see how it could be mistaken for the other two types, but it's these funny little markings that give it away ! LOL
DeleteIt certainly won't be one of those units you go damn I forgot to move them ! LOL will probably adjust the rules as these are flying, and allow a type of swoop attack, as that could be fun.
Hmm, that's a cool conversion, I like the whole concept and how it all turned out! Cool!
ReplyDeleteThank you Suber, built the first one quite awhile ago, so just trying to add to the squad now, glad you like it though
DeleteI didn't realize you were a fan of the Tau, Dave! In fact, had someone told me, I'm not sure I would have believed them :D Shows you what I know! I tend to think of Tau as always being in the XV-88 color scheme when they first came out so its a really cool contrast to see them painted up brightly like these are. The conversion is awesome too as I would expect of someone with your skills!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeff, had a few Tau when they first came out, but got bored with them, and gave them to a friend, but the chapter approved Kroot army list, really floated my boat, as it needed a lot of conversion work (do that normally) and as there was very few models available, you really needed to be creative. As I get these finished and based will post them up, should have a few surprises in there.
DeleteBrilliant work, Dave (literaly and metaphorically)! :-) Looks great! I like the heads as well and your logic behind the appearance of females sounds quite believable. I know what you mean about eBay prices for GW stuff - I keep my eye open for some of the Epic Tyranids war machines that fit well into my (well behind on progress) VSF project, but the prices are just stupid!
ReplyDeleteThank you John, I tend to look at nature for inspiration, so as you say it looks believable. Epic continues to grow in price, and is often difficult to come by. It's a shame you don't know a sculptor who can cast product, wait you do ! LOL
DeleteHaha, you're right Dave, I do! :-) I'll keep that in mind! I think I'm OK with the few bits I have for now (hopefully in a forthcoming post) but armies are there to be added to!
DeleteNo problem John, the Tyranid tanks are fairly easy to replicate, and would be an easy pour mould to do, if you do need some more.
DeleteVery cool. Sometimes in the dead of night I slightly wish I had kept all my GW imperial Guard miniatures that I gave away over a decade ago. Sometimes…
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others above that the wings are pretty cool. 😀
Thank you Stewart, I know what you mean, about getting rid of models, but often wonder if it's nostalgia, or just how much they are currently selling for ! LOL The pattern was taken from actual birds, just changed the colours to fit with the Kroot.
DeleteLovely stuff mate, the bright colours really work well, like the work on the column too.
ReplyDeleteCheers Roger.
Thank you Roger, thought I'd try to show recent bullet hole marks, rather than remnants from a battle long ago.
Delete"Lovely plumage", despit it not being blue or Norwegian. I haven't a clue what a Kroot (or Kroot are)- of course, but nevertheless your attentionto detail ona great model is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you Joe, Kroot are an alien race that evolved from a bird like creature, their genetics allows them to take on aspects from other creatures by eating the meat, so for instance if they ate chameleons they would be able to camouflage themselves to their surroundings, it's the reason their leaders are called Shapers, as they shape their unit by controlling what they eat. Hope this helps a bit.
DeleteThanks Dave, the joys of fantasy know no bounds, as long as we're all in the same fantasy !
DeleteIndeed Joe, and my mistake for not posting enough information, I forget that not everyone has been reading this blog, since I last posted anything for them, will try to add more details for you.
DeleteSuperb work Dave, right from the tips of the wings down to the bottom the base, lovely😃
ReplyDeleteThank you Justin, thought a plain base would let the model down.
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