Mechanicus Techno Barbarians!

Hi folks, something just a little off the wall for you all today:

These models (which haven't photographed terribly well) are part of another of the Inq28 warbands I'm finishing. I have not one clue where most of them are from so I shall await a knowledgeable soul in the comments to enlighten me! As usual when painting, I put together a little narrative for these guys in my head. To me they felt like a gang of partial servitors from some mechanicus outpost. Maybe a form of techno-pagan cult of the omnisiah, barbarians fighting over modifications and upgrades amongst the foothills of the hive factories... or something.

The big chap is weird enough proportioned that you can imagine some form of modified, vat grown slave with more muscle grafted on, surgeries to lengthen bones and the like. His tiny head makes him look modified rather than naturally that large so it works well. I decided early on that very, very pale skin, grown beneath a steel sky or beneath a constant blanket of sun choking pollution, would be a win. The process is essentially Rakarth Flesh, washed with Reikland Fleshtone and then highlighted with increasing amounts of Pallid Wych Flesh. On the big guys with the sacks'o'footballs sculpted musculature I added striations of corded muscle through streaks of highlight. It helps to overcome the plastic-ey cartoonish sculpting.

The two girls were fairly similar to one another, both smoothed out in an almost android sort of way so I thought I would emphasise that impression with the bright, artificial hair. Of all of the models, these somehow feel the least human, eyes hidden, bodies smoothed over. Very robot.

The bionics, of which this chap just wins the bonanza prize, I knew I could treat one of two ways. I could have gone very high tech, almost eldar, with coloured outer plates and clean mechanisms. But that didn't scream Imperial and certainly not techno-barbarian. So I went to a go to of chipped and worn hazard lines and oily steel. Much, much more Imperial.

The last one is a hodge-podge conversion of a marauder with a dark angel backpack and head & arms from - again - I know not where (client did all building and modifications see). With this chap I knew that the backpack could become quite dominant on the model if I let it. Too much colour and it would have looked tagged on rather than an integral feature. Thus it got the same oily steel and just a little dull brass for the details. Carrying the hazard stripes and the like over helped make this figure, that before painting stood out a bit, fall into place naturally with the rest of the group.

That's all folks, have a splendid weekend.

TTFN