Kharn the Betrayer

Kharn the Betrayer is one of those 40k characters who has done well from age. When we were first introduced to him in the early 90s, he was a butcher, pure and simple. A psychopath battering his way through anyone who got in his way with neither thought nor remorse. With the Horus Heresy novels begnning in 2006, we started to see a bit more depth to 12th Legion's most infamous son. Kharn was, bizarrely, the most restrained and controlled of the World Eaters. Indeed, he dogged attempted to instil some leadership and discipline into the savage legion, standing in for his largely disinterested gene-father. In the end, one can only assume that his endless attempts to keep the World Eaters together ultimately drove him too far and turned him into the maniac we know and... love?

I love most of the model, so I decided to paint him. There was only one problem: I really dislike his head with its silly rabbit ears and gawking features. I wanted him to look dangerous, threatening and vaguely gladitorial. So I replaced the head with a Maximus helm and a plume. The original head is interal to the body so this involved a bit of sawing and planing down.

I've never liked the idea that the World Eaters painted their armour a cartoonish red after the Horus Heresy. For a start, it seems like an odd thing for a gang of neurally sabotaged lunatics to do. For another, it seems like a strange choice for a legion whose main aim in life is to constantly whack people in the face with massive chainsaws. Having red on their armour wouldn't seem to be something they'd need to make additional effort for. Bot mostly, I just don't like it. So I painted Kharn with the pre-Heresy colour-scheme. This would help show the stains.

The model has an incredible sense of motion, and I though that I should stain him to reflect this. I used Vallejo Russian Spash Mud to give the impression that he's running at full speed, and then flicked speckles of Blood for the blood God across the model, especially to the front and right-hand side. Look at the arc Gorechild is describing: whatever enemy Kharn has just ripped down, a spray of blood is going to fall counter-clockwise across him. 

The only non-blood red I used was on the plume, and I counter-pointed this with the green of the plasma pistol. Overall I'm quite happy with him. 

Stynvor Blodfodt, the Priest of Slaughter

A couple of years back, Games Workshop realised the almost bewildering folly they'd committed by making White Dwarf a weekly magazine, and rebooted the monthly format. It was much better. The first issue contained a free miniature, the Khorne Slaughterpriest. An imposing model, usually costed at £13.50 from resellers or £18 with the GW premium for £4.99. I purchased it immediately!

Obviously, I wasn't going to use it for AoS, a system I don't play. But with a few quick changes and a sensible colour scheme, I imagined he could repurposed as a WFB character. Hi hulking stature was not an issue: I could easily have him as a freakishly big brute, concerned only with violence an slaughter. The character I had in mind was Fenris the Feared from Joe Abercrombie's First Law novels. Thus Stynvor Blodfodt was born.

First thing I did was fit him onto a square base. The morning-star type weapon looked a bit off to me, so I removed that and instead added the hapless Empire State Troop from the Ogre Kingdoms Stonehorn sprue. I forget where the head came from, but any suitably haggard head would do. I built his hair up with green stuff, and sawed a portion of his throat away. When painting the piece, I made sure to have arterial blood pouring from that removed section and correspondingly from Stynvor's blade, to signify a battlefield sacrifice.

I made the base very rocky with shale, green crystals and snow flock. I spattered some Blood for the Blood God to create blood in the snow. I envision this as the result of a disastrous Empire campaign into the far north which has led to the Empire's army being either destroyed or sent packing.

The above is a page draft from my Warhammer: Age of Rebuilding project. It needs tidying up and editing. Obviously only for narrative game use. 

I'm hoping to properly crack on with this project in the near future.

Let's forge a narrative part 2

Part 1 of my story was well received, so here's part 2. Will Belisarius Cawl and Master Pustolion be able to carry their diabolical plan, or will Inquisitor Horn be able to foil them? 

Thanks for your time - let's forge a narrative!

I'm very pleased. I set this blog up on 8th January 2018, and only a few months later I've just passed 2,000 views. I've had some good feedback and a few people have been interested in the methods I use.

Now, the monstrous Lord Eiterfex is still being readied for battle on my painting table, so I thought I'd do something a bit different - use my models to tell a wee story. Thanks to everyone who has visited this blog or commented!