Monday 20 October 2014

Vlka Fenryka - Rhuncir Gorevlkae, called Lord Balewolf, Jarl. WIP

It's getting pretty intense in California. There is so much insane stuff in the works now that I had to stop and share this before diving into painting and finishing some models. There will be a myriad of really strange seneschals and thralls, but I am also really pushing the Marines themselves to be VERY gothic.

In my excitement to returning to my first love army, I have decided to aim for a full 2000pt army within next year. Made of heroes and other expensive beings, it is not entirely unrealistic. Not with the momentum.

I love the game effect of Thunder Wolves, and the new plastic models are really brilliant, but the idea of Marines riding wolves is just silly (vs. plain stupid for Logan's sled?). So my cavalry will be made with just the wolves and their respective bionics to rep equipment, but the Wulfen Lord will just run and hunt with his wolves!

Would very much appreciate hearing your comments on Lord Balewolf.




30 comments:

  1. Very impressive Migs. I haven't realised the sheer size of these guys until now... Do my eyes deceive me or is Ferrus actually bigger than Horus?

    The topknot combined with the spear does lend a certain white scar vibe to the mini (in my eyes) - not that that's a bad thing.

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  2. Thanks mate. No, I think Horus was an odd moment of reason, in sizing ;) Frankly Vulcan, who is half way turned into a very gothic Wolf Priest, is the biggest of the three and borderline giving me grief in scale issues he will have next to the Vorbak wulfens. A good challenge to have though!

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  3. Fantastic looking pieces, Migsula. I'm curious as to how you go about creating your bases. Do you use miliput or polyfiller for the texture? I had not realised, until seeing them beside your characters, how small the Fenrisian Wolf mounts were. Obviously your fellows are larger due to being based on Primarch models, but still.

    I have to agree with Jeff Vader on the topknot head. It looks a little off and to me just brings pictures of Abaddon to mind. Everthing else about the model is wonderful.

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    1. I use Vallejo mediums that come in big Jars. I have one that is called sandy paste I think and one called grey pumice. I use both for this project. The Primarchs are about twice as tall as toy marines.

      Jeff is saying it reminds him of a white scar and you talk about Abaddon. That's not exactly agreement ;) I'm old school and Ragnar Blackmane is the inspiration here.

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    2. I love both sandy paste and the pumice - but I should experiment more in mixing them on the same bases.

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    3. I simply meant it looks non-space wolfy. I'd model some hair on around the topknot to draw away from the comparison, maybe give him some side-locks. But that's just my two cents.

      I'll look into this Vallejo mediums craic. Love a good scenic base I do.

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  4. I wrote a whole comment and bloodspot lost it?

    In a nutshell: Forgeworld is on a roll and you have an intuitive approach to building upon it. It's very inspiring to see how easy you make it seem. The proportions are borderline ridiculous, but I've found it's often the knife's edge where you need to be. Just be careful when making human sized models beside these monsters.

    Have you thought about rules? I find 25mm bases restrictive, but a 40mm based tactical squad poses a completely new set of challenges..

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    1. It's not as ridiculous as you think. Seeing a 175cm human next to a 215cm human drives the point home. Now imagine the taller fella has been genetically engineered to grow muscle and bone and then wears a massive suit of armor. :)

      I will use terminator rules for the wulfen. And 40mmm bases.

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  5. Oh yeah and autocorrect turns blogspot into bloodspot :)

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  6. Personally I don't mind the hair, for me that head just looks way too small on that body and particularly with that collar around the head. Maybe its just the pics but from what I can see it just looks a bit disproportioned. Saying that this is the 40k universe and these guys have been in the warp a while so who knows what they would end up looking like!

    I great seeing these early WIPs and more regular posts from yourself so thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Disproportioned in the context of regular space marines with heads bigger than basketballs? :) Your comment is fair, and I tried a few heads I deemed too small, but the context is very tricky. I picked the largest head that had the characteristics, a Vampire Lord from a dragon kit that is bigger than any Space Marine head for example. Bigger than the head on the first wolf that nobody thought was too small.

      I'm sure there would be a scientific argument to this, but as the goal for me is to do art that communicates the sheer imposing scale of Warrior Gods, this head to body ratio is satisfies my taste.

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  7. Superb stuff. I love your solution to the Thunder Wolf problem. Yes, space marines riding wolves is a silly idea. Astartes running with their wolves is a million times better.

    Personally, I like the topknot too. There's nothing to say that only one particular chapter can have a certain hairstyle and to me it gives him a nice feral quality. The only thing I'm not sure I like is the way he has his shield and his sword on the same arm. I looks odd and impractical.

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    1. Thanks. It's an interesting body pose to begin with. There is sort of a corkscrew tension to it as Ferrus is mid swing with his axe, so it took a while to play with the right parts. I wanted the shield to look like it's clamped to him and he can swing his sword two handed. I'll think about the impractical side, but not the oddity as odd is one key goal in the project :)

      I have also been pondering about finding a better styled sword, but finding a super flat and sharp sword that is the right sixe is not trivial. Any ideas for nice big swords that are also sharp are welcome.

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  8. Excellent looking model! You were able to effectively make the character take on a life of their own outside of Ferrus. Good choice with the sword, I think it would look better if the pommel/grip was shortened a bit so that his hand was against the cross-guard, I think it would make it look more natural. Just a thought, keep up the great work!

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    1. Thank you Eric. I do agree. This was the way to align the cables and the pommel and ended it an almost spear like grace that I'm enjoying. But as per comments above, still tinkering and searching for sword alternatives, so we will see.

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  9. So great to follow this project progress. Your dedication building to these mighty warriors is truely amazing.
    Actually, your focus on building carries something very special. Getting the scale right - the proportions, the contrast, the sheer massiveness of these marines - gives your project a very grand feel.

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    1. Thank you kind sir! My work is so over the top these days, that it's a select group of people who see both the big picture and the details and am really happy you are enjoying it.

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  10. I love the idea of modeling thunderwolf cavalry without riders. the idea of ceramite-armored marines that weigh upwards of several hundred pounds riding around on wolves has always put me off from space wolves, despite how well the unit plays on the table top. this is a really great way of "fixing" a modeling error and still keeping true to the flavor and fluff of the army. well done :)

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  11. This one really hit it off for me. The very concept of a hulking champion of the Rout running effortlessly through the harsh climate with a flock of giant wolves = awesome!

    I'm also old-school and I think the topknot gives a lot to the mini. Both in conveying the hunter imagery and a sense of flowing movement.

    VERY excited that you're aiming for 2k with the Rout :)

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  12. The image of this guy hunting with a pack of wolves is brilliant!

    I think the combination of these amazing warrior gods with normal sized thralls is excellent and it will only make the epicness of the Astartes even more apparent.

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    1. Thanks! There is a passage in the new Codex that describes the labyrinth of tunnels, chambers, caves and systems of the Fang being full of thralls that are men, machine and wolf, and some combination of the three! Some wicked beings on the way :)

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  13. Wow, impressive work! It is really neat to see conversion work using the Forge World Primarch models as a foundation. The plastic wolf works really well with the model and helps create a nice balance to the model (and gives everything a sense of life).

    Overall I think the head looks pretty good and is sized reasonably. I think it might look better if you did some greenstuff work to fill in his neck a little more. As it is now, it looks a little thin and does not look like it is attached quite right. While it might be a little tricky to do I think it would go a long way in making the model look more believable (and would probably quell any complaints of the head being too small).

    What are your thoughts of all of the cog wheel motifs all over his armor? Might it be good to remove a lot of them? I think it would help further him even farther away from Ferrus.

    The final thing I think looks a little odd is how his right arm attaches to his body. To me it looks like his should is not attached properly, almost like it is dislocated. I think if you trim the arm down such that it fits closer to his body you would fix everything right up.

    Sorry to sound so negative and critical about the conversion. I really think it looks fantastic thus far and would look great as is. That being said, I think you could make the model even more amazing with just a little more effort!

    Keep up the inspiring work!

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    1. Thanks Adam. Critical is very welcome when articulated and constructive. I see your point about the neck. It's more built up on the other side with an starts side ear cover thingy, but may be very hard to sculpt in now with the head attached.

      I've looked at the arm enough to say it stays - I would not attach it in away that appears dislocated to me.

      The Cog wheel motifs are very integrated in the armor, in some cases not even proud.I removed them where it was easy and had most impact. I plan to paint small runes on the taller portions of the pattern and think that will help turn it into something Runic armor looking.

      Thanks for the very thorough review!

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    2. I suppose dislocated is not really the right word for it. To me it looks like his shoulder is not placed properly. On his sword arm his shoulder is extended too far from his body. If you look at the arms sculpted by Egan, his arms are attached closer to Ferrus's body. You could largely remedy the issue by trimming down the plastic part of his shoulder such that it hugs his body slightly closer. This has been a constant problem in many of the plastic terminators GW has produced.

      It may just be the angle of the one photo that makes it look strange, so I trust your judgement.

      Also, does he have Angron's cloak complete with the all the skulls? What is your thought about having so many skulls? Maybe from all the chaos marines he has killed? I like it. :)

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  14. Absolutely sensational as always. One small comment, perhaps the arms/shoulders could come up a bit? For me the line from his neck to where the shoulder would be inside the armour is a little odd. Maybe just chunkier shoulder guards could do the trick!

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  15. Thank you so much for such detail post, this gonna help so many for sure!!
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