Blog Cho'Qomel's Reclaimers of the lost plaques

[Cho'qomel]

Greetings scaly folks!

In this Log I'll document the development of my double purpose warband - the Reclaimers of the lost plaques. It will be build around a core of models (Saurus and Skinks), which will be conversions of the Lizardmen Blood Bowl team. Some additions (Teradons, maybe a converted Saurus knight) should get me a warband for Warcry, while others (a 5th edition Skink priest) should get me a warband for Mordheim.
A warning for the impatient: It will take some time till you see painted models here. I'm working on a slow pace...

The first three models of the warband: 1 Saurus Guard Alpha (Totem Warrior) and 2 Skinks with blowpipes


Details on the Saurus Guard Alpha (Totem Warrior for Mordheim)


The Skinks


Comments and critics are welcome!

 

[Imrahil]

Nice conversion you've got going on there.

I really like the guard. Nice headdress and the straps around his head.

Do you already have a painting scheme in mind?

Grrr, Imrahil

 

[Cho'qomel]

Thank you very much, Imrahil.

Do you already have a painting scheme in mind?

Not decided yet. Maybe albino crocodile style, maybe something bright and colorful like a blue poison dart frog.

 

[Cho'qomel]

What's the goal of this project?

The goal of this project is to convert and paint the follwing:

Seraphon warband (Warcry)

• 1 Saurus Guard Alpha
• 1 Saurus Guard
• 2 Terradon Riders (Bolas)
• 4 Skinks (Blowpipe)

Lizardmen warband (Mordheim)

• 1 Skink priest
• 1 Saurus Totem Warrior (= Saurus Guard Alpha)
  
• 2 Skink Great Crests (= Chameleon Skinks with headdress)
  
• 2 Saurus Braves (= Saurus Guard + 1)
  
• 3 Skink Braves (= Skinks without headdress + 1 with dagger)

Where possible, I'll make double use of the models. Everything will be based on round bases (as far as I know, Mordheim rules never explicitly stated the kind of base you have to use - please correct me if I'm wrong).

I'll mark build/converted models in orange and painted models in green.

Maybe I'll post the list for Warcry in the Seraphon Army Lists section someday to discuss it there.


Considerations on a painting scheme

I want to build/convert all the models before I start painting, so it's gonna be some time till you see painted models here (Sorry! ). But there are some ideas already. I've compiled some pictures for reference and attached them to this post.

• go for an albino painting scheme for the whole warband (wich would make all of them marked by the old ones)
  
• go for a blue poison dart frog painting scheme
  
• go for an orange painting scheme with black markings
  
• OR mix all of those together (albino Guard Alpha, blue skinks and orange saurus)

 

[Lizards of Renown]

What's the goal of this project?

The goal of this project is to convert and paint the follwing:

Seraphon warband (Warcry)

• 1 Saurus Guard Alpha
• 1 Saurus Guard
• 2 Terradon Riders (Bolas)
• 4 Skinks (Blowpipe) -> 2 done

Lizardmen warband (Mordheim)

• 1 Skink priest
• 1 Saurus Totem Warrior (= Saurus Guard Alpha)
  
• 2 Skink Great Crests (= Skinks with headdress)
  
• 2 Saurus Braves (= Saurus Guard + 1)
  
• 3 Skink Braves (= Skinks without headdress + 1) -> 2 done

Where possible, I'll make double use of the models. Everything will be based on round bases (as far as I know, Mordheim rules never explicitly stated the kind of base you have to use - please correct me if I'm wrong).

I'll mark build/converted models in orange an painted models in green.

Maybe I'll post the list for Warcry in the Seraphon Army Lists section someday to discuss it there.


Considerations on a painting scheme

I want to build/convert all the models before I start painting, so it's gonna be some time till you see painted models here (Sorry! ). But there are some ideas already. I've compiled some pictures for reference and attached them to this post.

• go for an albino painting scheme for the whole warband (wich would make all of them marked by the old ones)
• go for a blue poison dart frog painting scheme
• go for an orange painting scheme with black markings
• mix all of those together (albino Guard Alpha, blue skinks and orange saurus)

I think you should mix it up. Go with the albino for the leader (as like you say, shows the favour of the Old Ones)

I like the idea of the color scheme mimicking the real lizards.

 

[Lizards of Renown]

What's the goal of this project?

The goal of this project is to convert and paint the follwing:

Seraphon warband (Warcry)

• 1 Saurus Guard Alpha
• 1 Saurus Guard
• 2 Terradon Riders (Bolas)
• 4 Skinks (Blowpipe) -> 2 done

Lizardmen warband (Mordheim)

• 1 Skink priest
• 1 Saurus Totem Warrior (= Saurus Guard Alpha)
  
• 2 Skink Great Crests (= Skinks with headdress)
  
• 2 Saurus Braves (= Saurus Guard + 1)
  
• 3 Skink Braves (= Skinks without headdress + 1) -> 2 done

Where possible, I'll make double use of the models. Everything will be based on round bases (as far as I know, Mordheim rules never explicitly stated the kind of base you have to use - please correct me if I'm wrong).

I'll mark build/converted models in orange an painted models in green.

Maybe I'll post the list for Warcry in the Seraphon Army Lists section someday to discuss it there.


Considerations on a painting scheme

I want to build/convert all the models before I start painting, so it's gonna be some time till you see painted models here (Sorry! ). But there are some ideas already. I've compiled some pictures for reference and attached them to this post.

• go for an albino painting scheme for the whole warband (wich would make all of them marked by the old ones)
• go for a blue poison dart frog painting scheme
• go for an orange painting scheme with black markings
• mix all of those together (albino Guard Alpha, blue skinks and orange saurus)

And I would suggest "Reclaimers" instead of "Retrievers" gives it more of a vibe of getting back the things stolen from the temples.

 

[Cho'qomel]

And I would suggest "Reclaimers" instead of "Retrievers"

Thank you very much, I've just changed it to Reclaimers of the lost plaques! Sometimes I just don't know the proper english word...

I think you should mix it up.

I'm a bit concerned about the coherent look of the warband if I do that. The looks of the armour, the fabrics and the bases have to be spot on if I'm going to do that.

 

[Lizards of Renown]

Thank you very much, I've just changed it to Reclaimers of the lost plaques! Sometimes I just don't know the proper english word...

No problem! Happy to help!

I'm a bit concerned about the coherent look of the warband if I do that. The looks of the armour, the fabrics and the bases have to be spot on if I'm going to do that.

I think you'll be okay, especially if you give them a common theme uniform item, like a sash or something.

Keep in mind that the Saurus would be separate spawnings from the Skinks, that the Skink Priest would have been spawned on his own (per the lore of the Rulebook in the 8th Edition at least). Even the Saurus could be from separate spawnings and had been selected for the Mission by the Slann because they each brought something different to the band that was needed to make them a complete unit.

I think also that Mordheim bands would be the least uniform of all Warhammer Fantasy units, except maybe mercenary companies and even then they would probably still have the same uniforms.

Maybe you give them all a colored sash, as a sign of the favor granted to them by the Slann that blessed their mission to reclaim the lost plaques stolen and smuggled to Mordheim?

You can play with the idea. Have some fun creating on it!

 

[Lizards of Renown]

Thank you very much, I've just changed it to Reclaimers of the lost plaques! Sometimes I just don't know the proper english word...

By the way, "Retrievers" is a perfectly fine word to use for what you mean. It just, like you say, when applied to a band makes you think of a bunch of dogs. That's all.

 

[Cho'qomel]

Maybe you give them all a colored sash

That's a nice idea! I'll keep that in mind. It shouldn't be to complicated to sculpt those sashes. Or at least I hope so. Thank you!

makes you think of a bunch of dogs.

And now I've got that picture of a happily barking saurus in my head who just wants to be a good boy...

 

[Cho'qomel]

New entrants

Alright, I've made some good progress today. Conversions of the Skink Great Crests (regular Skinks for Warcry) and a Saurus Brave (Saurus Guard for Warcry) are practically done. I've also stripped an oldschool Skink Priest from its outdated colours (love the model).
I'm quite pleased with how the Great Crests turned out. Originally I just planned to use the regular Skinks with headdress, but I really dig those Chameleon Skinks. For the sake of variety I used a regular skink body for one of them, attaching the tail and head of the Chameleon Skink to it. The Saurus Guard might receive some critics for the overhead striking pose, but actually it shouldn't be that unrealistic (but would work possibly better with both feet on the ground). The Blood Bowl models are great sculpts, but the Football poses are not that easy to work with.
Sculpting sashes from Green Stuff was not that succesful, though. Looks just too chunky. However I came across a method suggesting to use pva soaked tissue which looked promising. I'll give it a try when I'm having hobby time again.

Group shot of the new entrants


Saurus Guard detail (Saurus Brave for Mordheim)


Chameleon Skinks (will use them as Great Crests for Mordheim / regular Skinks for Warcry)


Comments and critics are welcome!

 

[Cho'qomel]

I finally figured out how to put pictures attached to the post into the text! It seems I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes

 

[Cho'qomel]

It is done! With assembling two Terradon Riders and the last saurus and skink braves both warbands are complete. There are some finishing touches to be done (filling gaps with Green Stuff, finally work out how to make those sashes, adding some bling to the models) before I can continue the work.

Warcry warband


Mordheim warband


The last saurus and skink brave


The next thing to do is the basing. I'm undecided what I'll do with their bases. The obvious choice would be either jungle bases or temple ruins, but I was thinking about Mordheim style bases, too.
I know it's unlikely for a lizardmen warband to show up in Mordheim, but in my head canon there's a similar situation in Sudenburg, where an overly ambitious mage's experiment to draw power from the realm of chaos via a rudimentary warp gate went terribly wrong, resulting in a cataclysm that left the city destroyed and littered with wyrd stone. Maybe I'll embellish that background story and write it down sometime...

 

[Warden]

Reclaimers of the lost plaques

What's the goal of this project?

The goal of this project is to convert and paint the follwing:

Seraphon warband (Warcry)

• 1 Saurus Guard Alpha
• 1 Saurus Guard
• 2 Terradon Riders (Bolas)
• 4 Skinks (Blowpipe)

Lizardmen warband (Mordheim)

• 1 Skink priest
• 1 Saurus Totem Warrior (= Saurus Guard Alpha)
  
• 2 Skink Great Crests (= Chameleon Skinks with headdress)
  
• 2 Saurus Braves (= Saurus Guard + 1)
  
• 3 Skink Braves (= Skinks without headdress + 1 with dagger)

Where possible, I'll make double use of the models. Everything will be based on round bases (as far as I know, Mordheim rules never explicitly stated the kind of base you have to use - please correct me if I'm wrong).

I'll mark build/converted models in orange and painted models in green.

Maybe I'll post the list for Warcry in the Seraphon Army Lists section someday to discuss it there.


Considerations on a painting scheme

I want to build/convert all the models before I start painting, so it's gonna be some time till you see painted models here (Sorry! ). But there are some ideas already. I've compiled some pictures for reference and attached them to this post.

• go for an albino painting scheme for the whole warband (wich would make all of them marked by the old ones)
  
• go for a blue poison dart frog painting scheme
  
• go for an orange painting scheme with black markings
  
• OR mix all of those together (albino Guard Alpha, blue skinks and orange saurus)

Excellent! Love the name of your warband so far, can't wait to hear about its exploits.

Looking forward to watching this project as it evolves! As a fellow (infrequent) Mordheim player I am looking forward to what you come up with!

 

[Cho'qomel]

Excellent! Love the name of your warband so far, can't wait to hear about its exploits.

Looking forward to watching this project as it evolves! As a fellow (infrequent) Mordheim player I am looking forward to what you come up with!

Thank you very much, Warden! But I'm afraid it'll take some time till they finally see a game for I'm working on a very slow pace (work eats up a lot of time)...

Thank the Old Ones for a public holiday! The other day I remembered I had bought a textured rolling pin in style of an aztec temple a few years ago so I finally put it to use and made some bases. I tried sculpting and made roots for four of them and I guess I'll add a little bit of static grass or tuft and hobby sand to make it look more abandoned.

Temple bases


Sculpted Root


The roots turned out quite okay, I think. I'll add some crackle medium to them when it finally comes to painting.

 

[Warden]

Well done on your bases!

 

[Lizards of Renown]

It is done! With assembling two Terradon Riders and the last saurus and skink braves both warbands are complete. There are some finishing touches to be done (filling gaps with Green Stuff, finally work out how to make those sashes, adding some bling to the models) before I can continue the work.

Warcry warband


Mordheim warband


The last saurus and skink brave


The next thing to do is the basing. I'm undecided what I'll do with their bases. The obvious choice would be either jungle bases or temple ruins, but I was thinking about Mordheim style bases, too.
I know it's unlikely for a lizardmen warband to show up in Mordheim, but in my head canon there's a similar situation in Sudenburg, where an overly ambitious mage's experiment to draw power from the realm of chaos via a rudimentary warp gate went terribly wrong, resulting in a cataclysm that left the city destroyed and littered with wyrd stone. Maybe I'll embellish that background story and write it down sometime...

Some really excellent assembly and modelling there!

 

[Cho'qomel]

Thank you both, Warden and Lizards of Renown!

I hope there will be hobby time tomorrow. There are only a few bits missing to get them ready to paint. So far I'm happy how they turned out. Although I have to say I'm a bit afraid of painting. It's been a while since I painted something and I don't want to louse it with a bad paint job...

 

[Cho'qomel]

I think I found a way to sculpt sashes without sculpting them - PVA soaked fabric seems to do the trick. Whilst my first tries with PVA soaked tissue failed miserably (the tissue ripped apart every time when I tried to get it on the model), strips from an old shirt worked very well (but the fabric has to be sheer enough to work on a miniature). As long as the PVA hasn't cured you can even knot it and when its cured it holds firm in position.

test sash (on a saurus blocker)


This one will also be my test model for the paint scheme. But for now I have to figure out how i make sashes for those tiny skinks. Even for the saurus it was fiddly for my thickish fingers and they're three times the size of a skink...

 

[Cho'qomel]

So, I've painted for the first time in a long time. Seems I've gotten a bit rusty and in dire need of practice!
The test drive for the Saurus showed me, that the main colour (gryph-hound orange) doesn't work too well with the colour of the sash (flesh tearer red). I guess I'll aim for a muter tone of orange with the next test drive. Red is my best option for the sash, as it has to work with blue (Skinks), green (Chameleon Skinks) and white (Guard Alpha)

Saurus paint test 1.0



I'll definitly have to get some practice before I start painting the warband!

I've also painted a test base and I am quite pleased with it.

Base paint test


That's it for now, hope I'll get painting again next weekend!