Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Building a Better Heldrake Part 3: Giving Flesh to My Nightmare!


Old School here with an update on my Building A Better Heldrake project. This bad boy is about half way painted in the Word Bearers theme I plan to use and should be done before the weekend, but let's not bump our gums too much, let's take a walk around this model!



 I haven't touched this model in a while because I tried to use a magnet to base it, which didn't work, but luckily Dragon Forge Designs came through for me. I will review their clear flight stands later this week. Bottom line is, for the price, their stands are amazing! Also, all the love the original and second post in this project got have inspired me to jump back on it. Thanks to Goatboy, KrautScientist and all the other hobbyists and bloggers who have inspired me and exposed it to the world.


The fleshy parts were painted using the first half of the steps for my corrupt flesh tutorial ... and I might leave it here or take it up one more shade. I am super happy with how the wings and back are taking the paint so far and can't wait to see where it goes tonight.


Here is a closer shot at the wing. I guess saying it follows my corrupted flesh tutorial isn't completely correct. I am using some of the new colors. So, I primed it Valspar red primer, then brushed on a mix I used to paint blood on my ogres (2 parts Mephiston red/ 1 part black/ 2 parts Carroburg Crimson). I just covered the flesh parts in that color, then heavy dry brushed Genestealer Purple, then I came back and drybrushed less area Pink Horror, then a smaller area with Emperor's Children Pink. That's where I left off there anyway.


The cables right now were based in Snakebite Leather (I have no idea what color that is now) and then washed with Leviathan Purple. This give me a really good base to lay down the brass colors (If you have never used purples for your brass, you will see what I mean when I am done, promise). The armor is ... funny. I followed Ron's Word Bearer method from FTW and primed the model black and then zenithal sprayed the Valspar Red primer at angles to achieve a zenithal highlight. I then tied it in using Corroburg Crimson heavily washed all over the armor. The trim is based black right now because I will be painting it in silvers tonight.


Being Word Bearers and a model with a huge base, I wanted to use a ruined basilica on the base to create a diorama. Between this desire and the fact that I wasn't using a flyer model with a sweet pre-cut flying-stand hole, I had to get creative with the actual construction of the flight stand. I ended up using my dremel to drill down deep into the stanchion on the base and also to drill a massive hole for the clear stand in the chest of the Helturkey. It was scary but also kind of fun. I thought the risk of potentially destroying my hard work was exciting, but I guess I am a little sick that way!


Here is a little size comparison of the model next to a daemon prince. It's the same profile as the actual helturkey model, which is nice to have for game play.


As far as the base goes, I am also really happy with how it is turning out so far. The shades and texture of it are coming off realistically so far and hopefully with some powders and some detail work, it will tie the total model together for some very nice eye candy.

Anyway, I know I have been absent from the usual raving hobby insanity, but between work and a hefty Tau comission project, I am pretty swamped. I am taking a few days off from the Tau though to work on my own stuff and just decompress a little. Once I finish this off, I will also likely have some cultists ready to go and about a million drones prepped for the comission, so be on the look out for more stuff coming up.

As always, please let me know what you think of it so far.

15 comments:

  1. It looks absolutely wicked mate! I love the way that the flesh tone really blends in to the armour. Given that Demon Machines are meant to be biomechanical this is stellar work.

    Unless I'm sorely mistaken is that a piece of 3rd edition 40K scenery? I used to have so much of that along with necromunda bulk heads and now it all seems to have gotten lost....sad times.

    Phil

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    1. Thanks Phil, it is 3rd Ed terrain BTW. I have a bunch of it I use on my game table at the house, so it just seemed natural to use it on this model. It's a shame they stopped making it.

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  2. God DAMN that is an amazing paint job. I am definitely weighing whether I want to buy 2 of the Heldrake model for the 2 drakes I'm planning to add to my Red Corsairs (since my death guard have blight drones), or if I should start with the zombie dragon for one of them. I've also been peeping this project: http://eternalhunt.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/raising-hell-pt-3/
    And am considering his approach, replicating the Hell Talon. I'm also working on a plasticard hell talon lol.

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    1. KS has a very nice take on the original kit. I think that is a great way to make a Drake. I won that Spiky Bits contest and CVinton wanted to grab the Drake I won with it, so he traded me a new Terrorgheist for it and thus this "Flesh Dragon" as CVinton calls it was born.

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  3. so where can we post fan immitations of your heldrake conversion? already have most of mine assembled :) thanks for a great idea

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    1. I really liked the version you have done up so far and the construction on the wings is great. How does it hold up though?

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  4. Okay you all need to stop doing awesome conversions of this terrible kit. I have a very strong desire to now buy and convert my own, but I have other stuff to do! Now, where the helldrake is that bookmark button...

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  5. Amazing work, OST! There are some really imaginative 'Drakes coming out of the CSM community lately. Kudos to all!

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    1. I couldn't have done it without the tentacle maker.

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  6. So glad you got this guy back out of the cupboard, OST!

    The model was already cool before, but what I really love is how you managed to pull off the effect of this guy being in mid-flight! Seeing the model on its base really gives you a great idea of what it would look and move like, scouring the sky for new prey. Awesome!

    I also really love the base! As a matter of fact, I would have loved my own Heldrake's base to look more like that! Alas, I only had a measly Necromunda bulkhead to build a ruin...

    Oh, a little, strange idea: That comparison shot with the DP immediately made me think how cool it would be to add a stream of balefire emerging from the Heldrake's mouth -- maybe not even as a permanent addition, but rather as an optional part that could be taken off. Almost like a sculpted flamer template, if you will. Does that make any sense?

    Anyway, great job so far! Looking forward to seeing this beast evolve even further!

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    1. That sounds pretty cool KS. I really like your Drake and the way we are going, I'm going to have to rename the blog Dark Future Drakes ... which I really don't mind, haha.

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  7. Thanks again for all the kind words guys. It keep me going and makes these sort of things possible. I won all the parts in this model in a contest you all helped me win and the Tentacle Maker that made the cables came from Green Stuff Industries, which is another great supporter of DFG, so really this drake belongs to the readers ... we will just keep it at my house though!

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