INQ28: I see fire
So, with the festivities out of the way, I find myself quite motivated to keep painting stuff, which, given my usual laziness, is a bit of a surprise. It looks like the hobby challenges issued by Azazel and others are having quite a beneficial effect on my completion schedule, though. So after the “Neglected Model/Fembruary” challenge finally prompted me to paint a model I had wanted to finish for years at long last, I thought I might just take a peek at the next challenge. And Azazel didn’t disappoint: His current Squad:March! challenge once again provides the perfect incentive to keep working on my Ordo Hereticus warband and actually finish it until the end of the month — after leaving the models unpainted for years, this basically amounts to a record attempt for me π
Anyway, what do I have?
First up, two callbacks to my previous post: Inquisitorial Operative Tybalt Renner now finally has his base:
I made things than they needed to be by not building, undercoating and then painting the base along with the rest of the model: Like most old metal models, Tybalt still has the metal tag that connects both feet and slots into the base. Now I could have carefully sawed it off, of course, but I was actually glad for the added stability. So I carefully textured and painted the base around the already painted model, which is hardly an ideal approach…
Oh well, at least I think he really ties into the rest of the warband rather beautifully now.
I have also added the last finishing touches to the Imperial Missionary (actually a Brian Nelson sculpt, by the way: Eric Wier very helpfully cleared that up for me — cheers, mate!):
That’s not all, however, as I also have some new models to show you, though: One of the parts that are really iconic of the Inquisition (and, by extension, of the entire setting) for me are the many servo-skulls, cherubim and familiars appearing in the artwork. They really embody the quirkiness and gothic horror of the 40k universe, and at the same time, they recall painters like Hieronymus Bosch, among others. This is especially true of most pieces of art depicting the Ordo Hereticus, with many familiars and creepy little creatures flitting hither and yon in the background.
Unfortunately, we don’t get nearly enough cherubs and familiars in actual model form, and the ones that are (or were) available can be a bit of a mixed bag. I knew I wanted Inquisitor Arslan’s retinue to have some grimdark familiars in it, though, so I had to get creative.
Hence these guys:
The servo-skull was actually inspired by a small illustration from the old Codex Witch Hunters:
This little guy actually appears in many pieces of Ordo Hereticus related artwork, so I felt I needed him – or at least a similar model – for my own collection.
It was an easy enough conversion to get right — which is probably why I had already built the servo-skull quite a while ago:
A resin skull (sent to me by fellow hobbyist Biohazard) was combined with one of the firy headdresses from the Empire Flagellants kit. The dangling scroll came from a vehicle kit, I believe. Or maybe the old Ravenwing sprue?! Anyway, because the model was so light, creating the illusion of it floating was easily accomplished by gluing it to a plastic beam from an old Tamiya kit.
As for the paintjob, there were two main things to get right: The flames, for which I used the same approach that had already worked like a charm on my Redeptionist. Many thanks must go, once again, to Tales of Painters’ amazing tutorial for painting flames). The other effect I really wanted to nail was the scripture on the dangling parchment. So I used the – still pretty amazing – Ordo Hereticus/Sisters of Battle decal sheet to puzzle together something suitably convincing.
So here’s the finished model again:
Of course the servo-skull comes with its own dedicated promethium supply to keep that fire going π
The little Angel of Death familiar, on the other hand, came about as the consequence of wanting to do something with some bitz from the Coven Throne I got via ebay (in an attempt to get my hands on the female vampires that come with the kit). Anyway, I thought a floating skeleton with a scythe seemed suitably menacing for a Hereticus warband π
Once again, the conversion itself was fairly straightforward: The upper body was combined with the cabling from a Tempestus Scion servo-skull, and some wings from the Blood Angels’ Sanguinary Guard were added to the model’s back. I even wedged in a small exhaust port between the wings, to hint at some kind of propulsion system. Oh, and I exchanged the standard skull head for an actual servo-skull, to make the model look slightly more tech-y.
I went for a fairly no-frills paintjob, adding some gold to the wings for a slightly more luxurious, sculptural look:
So with these models painted, I already have a rather nifty looking group of Ordo Hereticus operatives, if I do say so myself:
There are only two members of the retinue left to finish at this point:
A female Death Cult Assassin:
And the big man himself, Inquisitor Nabreus Arslan:
I already have a big painting session scheduled for tomorrow, and I think I am going to have a go at Arslan — if only to prevent myself from making yet another dozen tweaks to the model. Wish me luck! π
On a partially related note, even before painting the most recent models, I realised that I have accumulated over 50 INQ28 models at this point — another small anniversary of sorts:
Anyway, I would, of course, love to hear your feedback! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!
March 5, 2018 at 16:48
Very cool. Great looking warband.
March 7, 2018 at 19:06
Thanks, Luke! π
March 5, 2018 at 18:55
Excellent work mate – loving those servo skulls!
March 7, 2018 at 19:06
Cheers, mate! They do add a certain “je ne sais quoi”, don’t they? π
March 6, 2018 at 01:22
Nice. I love the familiars, well done. You can never have too many braziers in a witch hunter warband.
March 7, 2018 at 19:07
Agreed: Skulls and braziers are definitely a must with witch hunters. I still need to discover a means of adding nails to skulls, though, for the truly apocalyptic, Blanchian Hereticus look π
March 6, 2018 at 10:27
Great work, mate. Lots of progress. The warband has a really cohesive aesthetic. They’re all fantastic little individuals, but they take a great group photo too!
I love that Assassin; has a bit of a steampunk vibe, and the head really makes it stand out from the BDSM look of the regular Death Cult assassins. The Inquisitor looks great too, suitably gothic, although maybe that left arm is a bit too heavy…?
March 7, 2018 at 19:09
Cheers, Ross! They do work rather well as an ensemble, don’t they?
As for Arslan’s left arm, I’ve thought it about it for so long over the years that I am happy enough to leave it as is at this point — the Inquisitor looks like a strong guy, and if anyone asks, I’ll say there’s a grav suspensor in the hand-flamer, to mitigate the weight π
March 6, 2018 at 12:01
Oh they look marvelous. They ooze character and feel like they’ve walked straight out of the Witch Hunter Codex. Fantastic work mate!
March 7, 2018 at 19:10
Thanks a lot, man! π The artwork from the Witch Hunter Codex has really influenced this warband — and the paintjobs, in particular.
March 6, 2018 at 14:08
Looking lovely, and it’s nice to have a chance to comment on the individual models β the Necron-half mask is an inspired concept, and goes a surprisingly long way to making Tybalt Renner ‘read’ as an operative. Absolutely love the servo skulls; particularly the flaming one.
March 7, 2018 at 19:11
Thanks a lot, Apologist! Always chuffed to hear you like my models! π
March 6, 2018 at 14:24
I’m mostly just mad that when you paint fire it comes out looking like the real thing.
Too cool for words, mate!
March 7, 2018 at 19:12
Dude, seriously: Look at that tutorial I linked to in the post: I didn’t have a clue about painting flames, but that particular tutorial makes it so easy. And fun! π
March 6, 2018 at 22:52
As always, very nice conversions. I love the skull with flames on top.
March 7, 2018 at 19:12
Thanks, roxor111!
March 7, 2018 at 01:09
Wow, that skeletal cherubim is just so ridiculously 40k… inspired conversion there, the flaming servo skull looks great too.
Loving the missionary (in retrospect, it seems obvious that it’s a Brian Nelson sculpt), and Tybalt looks great alongside his companions!
March 7, 2018 at 19:12
Cheers, mate! π
March 7, 2018 at 10:39
That’s real 40K stuff, good job!
March 7, 2018 at 19:12
Thanks a lot, raff! π
March 7, 2018 at 23:33
Man that flaming skull is cool!
March 9, 2018 at 04:03
Looking great! You’ve inspired me to (if nothing else) get Inquisitor Falx and his group posted up on my blog! Also, I think I’ve been bitten by the servo skull bug thanks to you.
March 10, 2018 at 01:54
Well, that in itself is almost worth the hassle of getting this warband painted, as I just love Falx and his followers! Make it a proper writeup, though, alright? π
As for the servo-skulls, what are you talking about? You were the one to kick it all off with those awesome xenos-servo-skulls for Falx!
In other news, sorry for the delay in replying to your e-mail: Expect a response this weekend! π
March 10, 2018 at 14:57
Love those familiars β and I quite agree, there just arenβt enough of them in model form even now. Some great inspiration here for next time I get the itch to build some more of my own. Good luck getting the rest of the retinue finished π
March 10, 2018 at 18:03
Cheers, mate! π Still making excellent progress — in fact, I am painting the last member of the retinue right now. Wish me luck! π
March 11, 2018 at 14:08
Excellent work! I especially liked the flaming servo skull. However, are we ever going to see a EHA pt 3 mate?π
March 19, 2018 at 18:55
Cheers, man! Regarding the third post, I’d say don’t hold your breath: The prospect of having to sit down and create that writeup has literally prevented me from posting an update for months, and I am currently more inspired to actually paint some models than I have been in a long time, so I think I’ll focus on that as it just seems more productive to me. That being said, it should be easy enough to fold some of my thoughts about the current development of GW and the new releases into some of my future posts, so that should serve as a replacement of sorts.
March 12, 2018 at 17:17
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March 14, 2018 at 22:01
Great work – both of those familiars look fantastic and atmospheric, and I always love seeing the WIP shots and reading about how your conversions and kitbashes have come together. I’m looking forward to seeing Arslan in his fully formed state, as well as that Assassin!
Thanks for the shout-out as well! π
March 15, 2018 at 01:03
Cheers, mate! You’re in luck then: The post showcasing Arslan and the finished retinue is already live! π