Etogaur commander & command squad

So, one of the things I was resolved to do when I started blogging again was to improve my photography skills. I actually took a few photography courses in high school, and I've always been artistically-minded, so while I have a solid grasp of the concepts, putting them into practice can be a challenge. In other words: I'm a perfectionist and will be working to produce better pictures of my models. I'll also start resizing my images to a less bandwidth-killing resolution, so it's actually worth the time to click on them to see the full thing.

On that note, I've taken some pictures of the Etogaur of my Blood Pact (Etogaur is a rank roughly equivalent to Colonel), along with his command squad:




When building him, I wanted a model that was unmistakably a Chaos worshipper, but also envoked the image of a military officer. I also had to distinguish him in some way from the regular troops; as a high-ranking Blood Pact officer, he would naturally get the best of the gear and weapons available. So, I used a Space Marine Scout torso with attached cloak, and a pair of legs from the Imperial Guard tank commander (the one on the vehicle accessory sprue). The head is from the Warhammer Fantasy Chaos Warrior sprue. I shaved off some skulls from Guard canteens to decorate his chest armor with, and added a few other bits and pieces.

You'll also notice that he's not wearing a Grotesk. I wanted the Etogaur to be the only model on the table that is not wearing one, to both distinguish him from his troops and to show that he has been blessed with Chaos mutations. Though, if I can manage to model a Grotesk and glue it hanging on his belt, I will do so (I tried before I painted him, and it's really tough).



The Company Standard was taken from the Dark Elf Knight sprue, and embellished with Khornate and Chaos icons. The actual color doesn't show up as well as I'd like in the pictures, but the icons on the banner are done in simulated blood, using a mix of GW 'Ardcoat varnish, red ink, and chesnut ink.

I really love this method of painting blood; you can modify how congealed/clotted the blood looks, depending on the amount of chesnut ink you add. Using varnish as the base gives it texture and ensures that it's really shiny when it dries. I've used the same effect on the melee weapons of the command squad.



If you're wondering about the bases, I have quite a story to tell. You see, I hate basing. Despite the fact that I love converting and painting, I've never liked texturing my bases. I've always had trouble with it. Either the basing material peels off, or it flakes off everywhere, or the fake grass leaves little bits all over my storage case. So, back in September, I ordered 50 textured battle bases from Epicast, determined to avoid all the hassle. It took two weeks before my credit card was actually charged... and a further month for the bases to arrive at my house.

Except that, well, I'd only received 3/4 of the bases I ordered.

Now, I'm a pretty reasonable guy. I don't play the Angry Customer Who Is Always Right card unless I have to; I understand that sometimes, problems happen, and running a business isn't easy. So, I emailed them about it, and they assured me that the rest of the bases were on their way. Yay. Problem solved, I thought.

That brings me to the second problem: When I primed the bases using your basic Games Workshop primer... the primer didn't stick. I could peel it off in chunks with light pressure with my fingernail. Figuring it was the primer that was the problem, I tried Armory primer... and the same thing happened. So, I contacted Epicast again, and explained the problem. They said that they would exchange the bases or refund my money, my choice. Happy for now, I decided to wait for the rest of my bases to arrive, and then return them.

And I waited. And waited.

By the end of November, when I still hadn't received the rest of my bases, I requested a refund. I'd given them ample time to send the rest of what I'd paid for, and my patience was running out. Long story short, I returned what I've received, and it took two more months and five more emails to get my refund. So if you ever consider ordering from Epicast, my recommendation is NO NEVER DON'T DO IT FOR GOD'S SAKE PLEASE.

However, there is a happy ending here. I discovered Champ Industries. Champ Industries creates textured plastic bases for a mere thirty cents each. While they only make two different designs - industrial plating and a stone design - it was perfect. I'd wanted industrial bases to give a cold, hard feeling to the bases that would contrast the warmer, softer (and bloodier) colors of my Blood Pact uniform color scheme. I ordered about a hundred of them, and I'd recommend them to anyone who needs industrial bases.

Next post: Mass Chimera construction! I've never built so many tanks at once...