Grand Master Gabriel: A Commission by D Power

Hi folks,

A few weeks ago D Power from I'm Alone with a Dream, a regular contributor to the Google+ 40K community, launched a commissions service. He had previously established an enviable reputation for innovative conversions and wonderfully executed Blanchitsu-style paint schemes. By "innovative", I mean the kind of grim/dark imaginings that ooze from the eyes of daemons, thrice blinded by their own malevolence. And by "wonderfully executed" I mean the warp just bleeds awesome sauce on his models. It gets in the grooves and lightly dusts in other places. Even the bright parts look...

I was intrigued to see how such a style would translate into a commission service, so I sent him a brief for a conversion idea I came up with 20 years ago, based on the picture of Grand Master Gabriel of the Deathwing, below:

Grand Master Gabriel was slain leading the Deathwing aboard the Space Hulk "Charnel Shrine", during the events of the 13th Black Crusade. He was replaced by Belial, who restored the honour of the Deathwing company by cleansing the Space Hulk room by (freaking) room. I sent D Power the picture above and these instructions/suggestions:

A BRIEF EXPLANATION: There is a wicked picture of the old Master of Deathwing, Gabriel, in the Angels of Death Codex (2nd Ed.). The new Deathwatch Terminator Captain would be a good base for a conversion based on this picture. I'm guessing other Terminator models would be suitable as well.

PAINTED? Grim dark the hell out of it for me. Just don't use real blood.

EXTENDED THOUGHTS: This would require a lightning claw arm, preferably a 2nd Ed. curved one, and some DA bits for icons etc. 

Within a few days D was sending me images of the early stages of the conversions. The effort being put into achieving the details depicted in the picture was immediately apparent, including the innovative and appropriate use of bitz, materials and sculpting.

In particular, the elongated appearance of the stormbolter/auxiliary grenade launcher has always vexed me. But... there it was.

The detail on the back of the model is also interesting, particularly since there is no way of knowing what it would look like from the picture. The skill of the artist shows here; it is the kind of detail that can be easily overdone or underdone, but this work just fits. I haven't tried to read the text on the cloak yet, but it looks awesome and pays further homage to the original artwork.

The use of Dark Angels iconography makes is absolutely clear where Gabriel's allegiance lies, despite the spikes and the heavy weathering. Small uses of spot colour attract the eye to small details all over the place, such as the piping.

So, how does D Power's style translate into a commissioned service?

Unlike other building/painting services, you aren't going to get a nice, neat, safe paint scheme with airbrushed OSL (for an additional fee). The kind of scheme that the artist can reliably do every single time, twice a month, because otherwise they would be out of a job. You are buying an interpretation of the 40K universe, as it is viewed through a very dark and gritty lens. You are buying a piece that reflects both a specific style and the immense talent of the artist in regards to modelling. This style may not be to everyone's liking (pleasing everyone is the job of those other services), but it pleases me greatly. If Gabriel's restless ghost were to eternally haunt the blistered decks of the Charnel Shrine, he would look something like this:

If you like the idea of owning a piece like this, send D Power an email and he will help you get the ball rolling.

See you across the table,

M4cr0

The Man Cave Blues

Hi folks,

I am just about to finish up teaching for the year and the last couple of weeks have been outrageously busy. On top of kid's Birthdays and Christmas shenanigans, I have also been busy putting together a job application, which has eaten the lion's share of my time. As a result, my man cave is starting to look more like a dumping place of all that is inconvenient!

Can you spot two super-heavy vehicles, three polystyrene glue bottle and a Ravenwing flyer in this photo?

I took the picture above about two weeks ago, when I first thought about this post. Since then, things have deteriorated even more significantly. It is seriously time for an intervention. Maintaining a relatively neat hobby space is vital to my ability to complete projects. I find that if I can't sit down and start working on something within a few minutes, I will end up getting roped into something else far less interesting!

Can you spot the unused wads of green-stuff (SHAME!), Sammael + Jetbike, Tamiya Clear Red bottle and lucky xenomorphs?

Above is my main workstation, where I would usually paint. There are an awful lot of projects waiting to be finished on this table. It's not exactly functional at the moment and needs a good cull. At the moment, it is simply easier to carry my paints away to the kitchen table and work there, which defeats the purpose of having a man cave!

Can you spot the emu feathers, thermoplasma generator, lucky hobby knife, MtG cards and swear jar?

I have been keen to re-organise my display shelves (above) for a while now, there is a lot of To-Do stuff there that needs to be replaced with To-Done stuff. I am also knee-deep in books, which is the problem when you start using book shelves to display miniatures, or just junk, really (below).

Can you spot the Metallica guitar tabs book, Tyranid Harpy/Hive Crone, empty superglue packaging (SHAME!) and Goblin Green paint pot (circa 1997)? You may even spot Secret Project X from my 2016/17 To-Do list...

So, here is my confession: my man cave needs to be cleaned up. I have let it fall into shadow and, as a result, not much is getting done. It's high time I did something about that, before my Christmas painting projects for friends turn into Easter painting projects...

See you across the (junk strewn) table,

M4cr0

Joe Dever: In Memorium

Hi folks :-(

It is with a tremendously heavy heart that I report the passing away of Joe Dever. He was best known for his Lone Wolf series of adventure novels, which provided young people with easy access to the world of role-playing and mythology building.

Such was the impact of these books on my life, that my third ever Old School Gaming post was about Lone Wolf (the first two were rubbish anyway). The Darke Crusade was the first fantasy novel I ever owned and, it would be no exaggeration to say, Lone Wolf has shaped my interests and hobby pursuits ever since. I even took one book to my first day of high school; it was something like a security blanket. Another kid noticed and said he was into Lone Wolf and Greyhawk too. That kid has been my best friend for 23 years now and I would run through a burning house for him (and no, that's not a challenge, Goomba). There would be no Old School Gaming without Joe Dever.

Mr Dever was still working on three new Lone Wolf novels around the time of his death. The family has assured fans that they will use his notes to complete the books. It will be bittersweet to play through those last adventures.

Thanks for all of the adventures Joe, your legacy is great and I pray you are resting in peace.

M4cr0

Iron Snakes: Master of the Forge TO-DONE!

Hi folks,

Back in August, when the new hobby season began, I promised everyone that this would be the "Year of the Snake." I hadn't done much with my Iron Snakes the previous season and I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms (verdigris...[mumble-mumble]...must paint verdigris... [mumble]...) . Recently, I dropped everything to take part in Dreadtober, so I haven't had a chance to finish off my first project; until now!

I have always been a fan of Techmarines, so when I began painting Iron Snakes I always wanted to include a Master of the Forge. Dark Angels don't have one that can take to the field, as he is strapped into the heart of The Rock (apparently).

Conceptually, I wanted this character to be different to other Techmarines, which are usually known for strengthening fortifications. When asked why his city lacked walls, Plutarch quotes a Spartan king as saying "Here are Sparta's walls", pointing to his soldiers who all have large shields. Instead of fortifying static defenses, this Master of the Forge fortifies infantry units with siege mantles. He is a maker of shields.

The servo harness includes my first foray into painting lightning bolts: I don't know how the Night Lords players out there stay sane, having to paint them on everything. Perhaps that's the point...

The spear is intended to be a relic weapon. I thought adding it to the servo-harness was a key conversion to making this guy feel like an Iron Snake. The tip was painted with a simple blue to white wet-blend, as I wanted it to be clean and bright.

I stewed over the colour scheme of the servo-harness for a quite a while, not knowing what sequence of colours to use. In the end I just went for it and followed my gut.

It is a real weight off my back to finish this model. I finally have a HQ unit for my Iron Snakes and I feel like I am "back on the road" with them in general. I have many more of them lined up, including some Centurions and a Storm Eagle, but they are tomorrow Marc's problems :-) For now... [where did I put that big purple stamp...]

Come back with your shield... or on it,

M4cr0