Monday 1 April 2013

Inq28 - A Very Fatal Femme

Hello to one and all, hope you've all had a good bank holiday weekend (for the UK readers). My bank holiday included - hang on to your seats - some painting. I know, surprising right? In this case it was a very nice final addition to my Grey Knights Inquisitor Retinue:


She is technically a crusader in the rules - storm shield and power sword. I'll probably use her as some form of assassin/infiltrator in battlegear for Inq28. The model itself is a Hasslefree Miniatures HFA004 Kat figure with a couple of modifications. Its an older model from Hasslefree but still a great pose and typically nice Kev White anatomy and sculpting. I whipped off the head and replaced it with an Elysian Drop Troops helmet. It might look a bit large to some but that is because we have become habituated to seeing helmets sculpted skin tight and paper thin. This one is more akin to a motorcycle helmet. Might have to try and get a version of her on a motorbike somehow... The shield is a Space Marine combat shield with added green stuff strapping.


Colour wise, there was only really one choice. Matrix-black PVC. I didn't want her to be monotone though so anything that could be leather - corset, webbing, holster, boots, gloves - went a nice rich, brown leather. Start from Rhinox Hide, add some Doombull Brown for first highlight, then add Tuskgor Fur to the mix for the second highlight. I chucked in some Flayed One Flesh for the final sharp edge highlights and then glazed it all back down with Agrax Earthshade. The black is simply Vallejo Black with gloss varnish. PVC doesn't shade much and highlights in very sharp catchlights. I could have gone through and painted every individual catchlight but there is this magical stuff called gloss varnish that will do it all in one hit and from any angle. I did the math.


I'm becoming very fond of this trick for making a reflective visor. Army Painter Shining Silver basecoats the visor. Then blue and black-green inks from Vallejo provide a vague landscape. Rehighlight with Shining Silver and then gloss varnish. Looks lovely. By the way, the steel above the visor isn't shaded with Nuln Oil, instead I used thinned Vallejo black wash. It is a pure-er black.


I wanted the shield to be a battered relic of the Inquisitor's. I freehanded on the design and then took a deep breath before adding tons of scratches and dings to show the hard usage the shield goes through. Note that despite being exactly the same colour there is contrast between the shield (and indeed the helmet) and the catsuit. This is because you can contrast with texture as well as colour.


Her glowing blade was made simplicity itself by one of the new edge paints. A couple of coats of Gauss Blaster Green made a nice bright basecoat. Highlighted by adding Ceramite White, glazed down with thinned Green Ink and rehighlighted. I then added green glaze to the hilt and the arm with a line of Gauss Blaster Green up the arm as a hard reflection. I then re-glossed the area to make for a nice reflected glow in the PVC.


So, as the workometer shows, the Inquisitor's whole warband is now complete. As far as the Grey Knights are concerned that is. I'm once more Inquisitor hooked and there is going to be more, much more being added! The rhino that will carry this unit is going to be represented by an Eisenkern APC, once they are finally released:


Won't that be shiny? Anyway, I'm back to work now with Purple tanks on the workbench. Expect pics very soon!

TTFN

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