I thought I was being super creative by converting Vampire Count crypt ghouls into a mutant Penal Legion, but it turns out some guys have already done this (very nicely too) so I can't claim credit for the idea. I expanded my idea from the Plague Bearers conversion who are also based on Vampire Count models. Unlike the Zombies these models are hunched over in wicked fashion and look like they are insane. They remind me a lot of the zombies from I am Legend. I might have to make an Inquisitor to look like Will Smith

Converting these were a whole lotta fun! It was a trial of "How much crap can I drill and glue into these poor bastards" and the answer is: a lot! Guitar wire cabling, small screws along their spines, and knife blades protruding from unclosing wounds are just a few of the things they have to endure. That's one hell of a fraternity pledge.

These mutants were guardsmen who were captured and unwillingly turned to Chaos. The Dark gods cackle at the ironic fate of their new subjects. Their captors and now masters rule them with contempt as they are considered the lowest rung in dark ranks, twisted fiends being little more than a slave and often times the recipient of the cruelest treatment.

To cover the load-out options, I equipped them with a lasgun and close combat weapons. This way they can count as Penal Legion or Guardsmen which will hopefully keep the beardy mouth-breathers at bay.



On a completely different tangent I re-watched the Southpark ep. featuring Al Gore vs. Man-Bear-Pig and it still makes me LMAO. I'm SUPER CERIAL! I honestly can't believe those guy got away with all the crazy shit they've said over the years. I love it. In closing I'd just like to say....

Excelsior!

Hey everybody!

I apologize for the long over-due post. My stupid pc decided to retire early which made blogging difficult. Most of my photos are still stuck on my hard drive so for the time being I'm posting what was still on my camera. Hey, it's a start right?

Speaking of starts (terrible segway I know) this was an old fantasy model I picked up a while ago from my FLGS. I thought the pose would make for a good standard bearer. Still debating on leaving the chain-mail loin cloth as-is or greenstuff in the lower half of a jacket. I fear that doing the latter may make him look pantless like one of the chipmunks. Then again he is Chaos so anything goes, right?

EDIT: Oh yeah I'd like to apologize for the cat hair in the first pick. My kitty is a master at projecting hair onto things.

More updates to follow  :)

Here's a few updated pics of the Chaos Sentinel. The spikes from the base were transplanted to the Sentinel since having the same material in two different places might look confusing. The base will have a toxic wastelands theme, littered with rubble and sealed in a coat of resin. The idea is to make it look like the Sentinels are treading and dredging through rough terrain to flank their enemies.

 Small gauge wire was added around the spikes and corpse.

 
The next step is to define the spikes some more (so they don't look so much like sprue chunks) and maybe some more brackets on the wire for added detail, but for the most part the chassis is complete. I don't want to bog it down with too much chaos-y stuff (I'm resisting the urge at least).


Time to break out the dremel and make this guy look a little meaner!

Thanks for reading :)

After recently purchasing a Valkyrie, the seller threw in an unassembled Sentinel free of charge. Score! Both models came new-on-sprue, with instructions, at less than helf retail price. If I wasn't a terrible dancer I would dance right now. Ahem, it was very cool of him to do that.

For starters the  armaments needed a little beefing up. I had the idea of running cables through the eye sockets of the skull emblem.

 A couple of guitar strings will do the trick

The normal mounting position is the hole below the cockpit, but I really wanted to try something different. I thought it would look cool with the weapon following the pilot's  line of sight.

 Pin in place and ready to glue. I also cut and refit the feet around the terrain chunks.

I was slightly concerned with the tension the strings/cables added on the weapon, but it held firm and adds a nice touch of detail.

To keep the cables tight a staple was added on the Missile Launcher. It was slightly tricky to keep in place, but that's probably because it was a last second addition.

A few more details were added like spikes and an impaled torso. I opted for the open canopy so the pilot would be more visible. The spikes are from old sprues I had lying around.

I'm satisfied with the results so far. All that's missing are more chaos-y bits (you can never have enough spikes). I haven't decided if (or how) claws will be added to the feet. They look cool on the drawing board, but I don't want the model looking too eclectic with pieces just strewn about.

More pics will be up later this week. Cya then!

Today I thought I'd post a link to a lot of great inspiring Blogs. The theme is Imperial Guard armies. There are a lot of Blogs out there, but these are just a few I've had the pleasure of finding (insert Zelda secret sound here).

Onyx's Hobby Blog 

Ever have the urge to make an Epic Armageddon Army? Go to Onyx's Hobby Blog where he has some AWE inspiring armies for you to look at. There's a whole lot of armies to drool over!

The Chaosgerbil's Lair

We can't forget the Traitor Guardsmen now can we? Chaosgerbil's blog is packed full of battle reports and insight into the mind of chaos. This is a great example of what my army aspires to be. I may have to try this out as well: Codex_Lost_and_The_Damned_ChaosGerbil_v5

Praetorian 77th

I clicked this link almost on accident while browsing the Dakka Dakka forums. To my surprise I found a great Blog devoted to the Praetorian 77th regiment. It's more than just Imperial eye-candy; there's also a lot of unique design work like the Rough Rider's conversion (which is the closest I've seen to what I have planned).

Col.Gravis' Praetorian Imperial Guard
Another fantastic Blog devoted to the Praetorians. You can find just about anything you want to know about the Praetorians here. My personal favorite is Malcador Defender "Dauntless", but I'm a sucker for Super Heavies (Aren't we all?)

These are but a few of the many great blogs out there. Of course there are so many to mention, but I'm tired of typing and really want to paint now. Please follow them if you haven't already!

Have a cool site to add? I'd love to hear about it