TJ here with another conversion for my army - this one has been caled the Mammoth for some time (though it really has no mammoth like qualities, but I digress ... This is one of the last conversions I will be able to paint before I leave for 8+ months ... actually, it may be the last! Let's take a walk around the model and look to the future possibilities for the army of the Apocalypse!
As always, if you are viewing the full site (65% of our traffic actually sees DFG through their phone), then you can always use the tags on this post to see more - you can check out all of the posts labelled Army of the Apocalypse! There you can find every project over the last year that has gone into this army and all of the WIPS along the way!
Enough silliness, this model was a hell of a lot of fun to make and to paint. I wanted it to take the field with some of my other speed choices, like my Khorne Hound conversions, so I went with the purple fur!
To also tie it into my Daemon Princes and the Necrons that also ally to my force most of the time, I went with the intense blue power cables and hoses.
The flesh is something I wanted to be pouring out from the seems and growing like a moss on the top. I want to convey that as the daemon engine rages, the beast within fights to overwhelm the machine and to become true born into the realms of men.
Having made this guy ... I already know I would want one more Maulerfiend and I have no idea what to use as the base for it ... hopefully by the end of the year, there will be something suitable to mix into my machine parts!
Another thing that has become a theme that I have started to appreciate in this army is the bestial nature of it all - I have a flying gorilla daemon prince, a charging Minotaur, 20+ dog monsters, tentacle beasts ect. I like how he takes on elements in design and in color ... which, hilariously enough, is 50% intent and 50% just going with the flow when putting parts together to make something I think is cool!
The sharp green/ yellow on the tongue (sorry the camera can't handle it) is similar to the swords I painted for the Plaguebearers - I thought that I could call it the magma cutters when I want to run a plain fiend (basically the corrosive tongue cuts through flesh and armor) OR, since it is a tentacle, it can easily be a lash whip too!
The horns are something that brought me to this model for my Ogres army when I first bought the kit ... luckily, the Frost tusk (I think thats its name) was more competitive, because I would not of had this cool head.
I am glad I got this bad boy painted before I could leave because I have enjoyed creating it and I like to finish off projects as soon as I can.
All in all, I want to thank the folks who come out here and on Facebook and the DFG email or see me at tournaments and give me encouragement on this army. It keeps me going and it pushes me to stretch the bits box out and see where I can take the concepts and ideas in my head using what is available. I always appreciate feedback - constructive or just kudos and it has meant a lot over the last year. Now let's see if I can finish a certain Chaos Sorcerer before I take off!
I hates you again!
ReplyDeleteGood looking stuff for sure. I have had success with rush lists with Spawn, Sorc, Mauler then Crons to help clean up the air.
Exactly what I've played with great success also. Crons also let you, you know, score. :)
DeleteSince the days of Maximum Overdrive being a topic for list building in 6th Ed Chaos, I have liked the idea of the Maulerfiend, but really never saw much that attracted me away from the more traditional Chaos/ Necron, Necron/ Chaos builds I have been running. Then I saw how fast Fly's list was and it looked like a lot of fun. If it hadn't of been for that, this model wouldn't even exist. I'm looking to add a little rush action to my resume for when I return. I have been drawing Spawn concepts for the army in preparation for my return, so we should be seeing some interesting stuff come the last quarter of the year.
DeleteThat looks great TJ, good job.
ReplyDeleteThanks man. Coming from a guy with a beautiful army of his own, I certainly appreciate it.
DeleteVery nice. Maybe make your next one off the Necrosphinx?
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of that and a take on the Hellpit Abomination, though I also like both for the soulgrinder conversion possibilities.
DeleteNicely done again...really wish I could get stuff done at a similar rate!
ReplyDeleteIt's all about method. I spent three one hour sessions (washes ect dry between sessions) working on this model. That has little to do with skill and more to do with painting by a method. If you have a scheme you have been painting consistently, you can find ways to apply it efficiently over time to knock a couple minutes off here and there - before you know you are picking the right times to wash vs drybrush and you have saved enough minutes that you have suddenly saved an hour. That's how it worked for me and it really came from advice I got from Dave Taylor. It doesn't happen instantly, but you learn the scheme in and out over multiple paint jobs. My first paintjob with this scheme was Typhus and that one little model took me 6+ hours to paint. I have been painting this scheme for a year now and I can whip it on with much more confidence. Just find the method and everything else falls into place.
DeleteTJ, you must be swimming in bits. Great painting, too. Stupendous work overall, Sire!
ReplyDeleteI have been "hoarding" (wife's term, I call it investing) bits over time that I thought would be useful for conversions for years and have also had a run of RTT victories since 6th came out, so I have a pretty epic pile to draw from for bits! Thank you for the kudos.
DeleteIt remains an amazing conversion, and the paintjob is very good, by and large.
ReplyDeleteI have to be a bit of a party pooper, though, with some little gripes: I am not sold with the sharp green tongue and cables as well as the dark purple hair, because those elements are making the model just a tad too colourful for my taste.
These are really minor concerns, though, and the model is a worthy addition to an already amazingly inspired army project.
Please be safe and return to us soon, TJ! We'll miss your crazy conversion projects!
Thanks for the honest criticism. I wrestled with the tongue (not literally, gross!) for a while and painted it a flesh color, but it muted it and thus made the back the attention grabber for the casual passer-by. When I applied the green, it made me weary up close, but then when I pulled the passer-by test, I found that it drew the viewer into the face, the eys, the details on the horns, the chip weathering on the claw and then the rest of the model.
DeleteI won't say your off here, in fact I would even say my scheme isn't something that I would have liked a year ago and I also have to say that the tongue was a bit of a concession for me ... though one I was willing to make. I will take some group shots later as I think the purple starts to come together when the model is on the field with the rest of the army.
Thanks for the well-wishes Kraut and the critism is certainly appreciated from an artist such as yourself, you keep me honest! I may revisit this peice when I return, though for now, I am happy with it in the display case.