few weeks ago we shared the beginning of our then-unnamed War Hounds Legion Praetor.
Instead of rushing it, I decided to take a bit of time, try some new things with techniques and also so the first real scenic base for my War Hounds.
As mentioned previously, the look of the War Hounds has been evolving from the one drawing in the Horus Heresy Book 1, and now being bale to do an officer, I think this scheme and the way they would do markings are now fully evolved in my mind.
There's been a lot of conversion on this model, but it ties in, so it's hard to see - the cape at the back covered up the largest conversion - the Stormcast shin armour. Below is a breakdown of the mini, done in the three sub-assemblies.
Instead of rushing it, I decided to take a bit of time, try some new things with techniques and also so the first real scenic base for my War Hounds.
As mentioned previously, the look of the War Hounds has been evolving from the one drawing in the Horus Heresy Book 1, and now being bale to do an officer, I think this scheme and the way they would do markings are now fully evolved in my mind.
There's been a lot of conversion on this model, but it ties in, so it's hard to see - the cape at the back covered up the largest conversion - the Stormcast shin armour. Below is a breakdown of the mini, done in the three sub-assemblies.
Praetor
The Praetor itself was a read amalgam of bitz - Imperial Fists torso (for that Great Crusade look), Raven Guard claws, Red Scorpion and Iron Warriors should pads, Stormcast shin armour, plastic MKIII legs, Space Wolf pelt and Veteran head. After a lot of trial and error, and a few cut thumbs, the look was complete. I wanted him to have a close combat look to carry forward the War Hounds Legion fluff, but at the same time be regal and really stand out from the rest of the troops. Although he is primarily the standard War Hounds blue and there's actually no more white on him than the normal War Hounds, he needed to be different - so I decided on red to set him apart. His groin armour was four layers of blending to get the right shade, and adding the fur pelt was something I'd wanted for the War Hounds for ages - it is in their fluff after all!
The mix of metallics was a bit of trial and error, but seems to be about right. His shoulder pad heraldry is unusual for a War Hound, but for a Praetor it needed to be. Was going to go reversed colours with the rampant hound, but decided that was too much red. The Red Scorpions studded shoulder really makes it I think - it's unique. The Stormcast shins were a test really, having used the front, but cut the backs off the add the plastic MKIII calves and then adding new studs to make it more dynamic. The face is from a Veteran, and is washed and then blended, while the scars got their own wash and highlight.
The mix of metallics was a bit of trial and error, but seems to be about right. His shoulder pad heraldry is unusual for a War Hound, but for a Praetor it needed to be. Was going to go reversed colours with the rampant hound, but decided that was too much red. The Red Scorpions studded shoulder really makes it I think - it's unique. The Stormcast shins were a test really, having used the front, but cut the backs off the add the plastic MKIII calves and then adding new studs to make it more dynamic. The face is from a Veteran, and is washed and then blended, while the scars got their own wash and highlight.
Backpack
The backpack was a bit of a challenge - I knew it needed height, but it also needed to look regal without being a gold mess or a crown. Luckily I am an incessant bitz buyer, so had lots to play with. The backpack is a fiddly conversion using the Limited Edition Space Marine Captain backpack, with the funnels, pipes and fan from a plastic MKIII backpack. It's fiddly, but fits surprisingly well and the Iron Halo is perfect for the fluff. The cape is from the Custodes, painfully cut and bent into shape and then padded out with Green Stuff to get the shape right. The colours are standard War Hounds and don't deviate from the rules I've set for which bits are white and which bits are blue dependent on rank and role. There's lots of little details, but the decision to do it white was really to make it look less like an Ultramarine, which would generally go for red. The gold was layered on and the decals placed to make his Legion affiliation not-so-subtle.
Scenic Base
Although the Stormcast shins gave him a tiny height advantage. he needed more and this Age of $igmar scenic base seemed the way to go. All the beses of my War Hounds are running on the theme of planetfall. They have just hit the planet, maybe taken out some advanced parties and are moving in on the cities of this world - a world needing to be brought back under the rule of the Emperor of Mankind. This civilisation will have some Mayan influences, so the little triangles on this base were perfect. The metallic arch is a metallic not on any of the War Hounds, so is truly unique, and the helmet is a conversion from a Dark Elves Executioner with a Chaos Marine top knot. I added plastic card to put flag stones on the ground, and rocks and shrubs (Gamer Grass BTW) to tie in with the other War Hounds bases. Overall I am very happy with this simple base and his pose, although not designed for the base, does seem to suit it.
War Hounds Legion Praetor Farrar KerRis
And assembled, here he is - Praetor Farrar Kerris. The name comes from Matthew Farrar, the author of the first War Hounds story and as far as I can tell, then guy who actually named them.
The colours on the Praetor are very simple - bronze for rank, silver studs to make him stand out from the rest of his troops - even veterans - the dirty white, blue with the subtle highlight and two tones of red; the crimson red for the War Hounds bits and a brighter red for the purity seals. The orange of the enemy helmet and markings on the base are to contrast with the blue which give it an alien feel.
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Overall this was an experiment that I think adds to the army, which - despite being critical of my work - I'm really proud of actually. Now... maybe I need to flesh out what the enemy look like!?
The colours on the Praetor are very simple - bronze for rank, silver studs to make him stand out from the rest of his troops - even veterans - the dirty white, blue with the subtle highlight and two tones of red; the crimson red for the War Hounds bits and a brighter red for the purity seals. The orange of the enemy helmet and markings on the base are to contrast with the blue which give it an alien feel.
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Overall this was an experiment that I think adds to the army, which - despite being critical of my work - I'm really proud of actually. Now... maybe I need to flesh out what the enemy look like!?
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