Wednesday 12 March 2014

Knights on the menu and a happy modeler.

The internet is rife with the first painted Knights by hobbyists around the world.

I've just finished the perfect warm up exercise that has painted to one of my favorite models in the army. Quick picture attached, with the final selective matt varnish and weathering film still missing. I will do proper photos with the Big Knight. I want to show off the great rands in gloss, the improved metallics and more subtle airbrushing weathering.

Tonight I will unbox the knight!, and start by building an epic little base as always. I've decided I will build the Battle cannon variety, but I am uncharacteristically torn between picking a color scheme. Looking at three options and curious to hear what you guys think.

Whether I should do the red Mechanicus scheme that has served the Cyclops Battle Automaton and the Skitari so well. They are on the way to a nice little army within the army. I like the red, because it is a very unique way of doing red and highlights the moon light theme so well.

I could also pick a version of the Blue grey I used to do the IG vehicles. It weathers beautifully and is a very nice hue that would go great with big yellow hazard stripes (which will feature on any design I pick obviously) This way the Knight would really fit with the soon to be rapidly growing IG component and still stand out too.

And finally, I am entertaining a cold green scheme. Something that makes the Knight completely independent, a hero of sorts, with enough blue and off-white in there to make him fit in. Tempted by this, yet a little worried that my rag-tag horde is starting to loose coherence too.

Thanks for feedback!




15 comments:

  1. Outstanding Migs - your blue/green/yellow blending and weathering looks perfect in the big guy.

    Personally I think you should go with either the cold green or the Alpha Legion (as above) scheme on the Knight - there's already far too many House Taranis (and so on...) Knights appearing out there...

    I really enjoyed your 'into the depths' article above too - you directly caused me to change my painting style a few years ago when you posted the first Alpharius PIP, and continue to inspire me today.

    Thanks!

    And good luck with the Knight - it will look awesome no matter what colour you go with in the end.

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    1. Btw - the freehand detail on that tabard is breathtaking...

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    2. Thanks so much mate! That Alpharius model made me change my painting style too... funny how one model can have such profound impact.

      The tabard is from the DA terminator kit and that detail is sculpted on the plastic!! Very cool how they did that. And much easier to paint too :)

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  2. I'd absolutely love to see a Knight with your 'moon red' colouring.

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    1. Maybe I should do a poll at dakka to get a sense of what most people want... But between red and green it is. The opposites fittingly.

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  3. I am deeply impressed. That is a stunning model. Great work!

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    1. Thank you. It's shaping up to be a really inspirational model for myself too. It proved the blue scales to bigger models and just looks pretty Warhammer Gothic all round.

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  4. Oh Migs that looks ace. The colours on the exhausts are just beautiful. Turns out your legion scheme upscales very nicely.

    I know its not finished yet but I think his feet could do with a touch more "chipping".

    Very much looking forward to your knight, I quite like the idea of the Mech red scheme but I'd like to see it as an independent hero in cold green. As long as your bases all match that will tie it to the army. Henry South is doing a Knight at the moment and its worth checking out, best one I have seen so far http://4gotowar.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Peter, thanks my friend, funny you should mention the feet, which had some heavy chipping that got nicely hidden by the dust and sand films added by the airbrush. IRL if you see it close, it is quite sweet. You see the wear underneath, but it's clearly dusty. Looks very realistic. I will study this effect a lot more in the future.

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  5. It's beautiful. The weathering is amazing!

    Great use of that death company sarcophagus BTW - it's one of my favourite dread designs.

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    1. Thanks :) The Knee armor parts are also from the BA dread. Really subtle, but I like these little differences to the first Dreadknight I did. The paint job of course being anything but a subtle difference, but with enough similarities to tie them together in to the army.

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  6. This is one of the most awesome yet subtle conversions of the Dreadknight I've seen.
    I really like the way it turned out more "giant battlesuit" than "big bad robot".

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  7. The best Dread I've ever seen. Love it!

    I like the idea of moon light red Mechanicus Knight.

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    1. Thanks Kari. I just finished reading the Knight Codex, and looks like I want to do a free blade Knight. The storyline fits so well. I will for sure have some red in it to show the pact with the Mechanicus, but am now leaning of a very cold, eggshell green top surfaces and dark grass shadows.

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