Followers of the Forbidden Scriptures of Dingir Nakart Zhinn

Kuanor · 30 July 2022 16:15

For now, the Mortar will have to wait, because I decided that it needs an alternative platform for the game, that would fit on a reasonable base and leave the original one for show or as terrain.

But there was another obstacle for getting stuff finished, which would be the shield for the HW+S regiment.
They are currently in different states from being done, but here are the first few that could be considered so:

Temporarily fixed in place with some sticky stuff for the photo.
What do you think, can they stay this way?
I’d extend the horizontal metal rod to full breadth (not 2/3, as on one of the shield) on the further copies, but otherwise they would stay as shown above if no one objects.

Kuanor · 30 July 2022 17:42

There was a request for reversed view for a possibly more realistic/functional design:

You have to imagine the decorations from above here on the front side, ofc.

Zanko · 12 August 2022 18:24

I managed to look at your shield design in detail today.
It’s a very creative design, but I personally don’t really like it. For one thing, I think the shields are a bit too big, which obscures the models too much. Secondly, I don’t think the style of the shields matches the style of the models. In the end, it reminds me of a “garden gate”. What would have to be changed in the style to fit the CDs better…I don’t know. I am not creative enough. Maybe more organic with ornaments?
That’s all for now, but if I think of anything else, I’ll be happy to let you know (if you like).

Kuanor · 13 August 2022 16:56

Of course I’d like.

In the meantime, since I was still hanging on the shield designs and needed some feedback, I asked in another forum specifically about this.
Got a lot of answers even after ignoring the obligatory “it’s your project” and “you are the one to like it” wisdoms. ^^"

Anyway (I’ll try to sum it up since the forum is in German), some people liked it, some focused very much on the “industrial” keyword and suggested (seemingly) mass-produced designs, and some suggested changes that probably could work more or less well with the existing design.
So I’ll try those changes first.

One of those was the suspicion that the spikes on the lower edge were too long. Would this already address your point?
My gamemate considered them some kind great shield from the start, but they weren’t even intended this way. It’s just that in a smaller scale there wouldn’t fit anything between the vertical elements, and I was hoping they would fit the remaining hero-scaly elements of the models.

Organic and ornaments are what I was trying to avoid, if we are both thinking about what Lost Kingdom is doing in their later designs. It most probably contradicts the army theme (see opening post) and I find it not very exciting overall, to say the least.
The idea of an iron-forged gate or fence was even an inspiration for parts of the design, namely part around the spikes. It carries the associations of ironwork, of being at the same time kind of artsy and threatening.
But not fitting the model would be a serious concern, I can’t quite decide, are you sure about it?

Anyway, I have a shield half ready that implements about 5 changes, where we can look which of them are good and which aren’t. Maybe today.

MichaelX · 13 August 2022 20:31

As a german you should see i for what it is! I dwarf sized beer mug holder obviously! Or possibly to hold an entire mini keg!

In all seriousness to me it looks like a mounting point for the ogres foot chain!

Anzu · 13 August 2022 21:04

I, for one, like your garden gate shields In all seriousness, I think it fits well, is a pretty unique design and an impressive scratch-building effort. Too large? I don’t know, historical pavises have been larger. The only thing that I would criticize is that they are holding the shields in a bit unnatural/awkward way. But then again, they also need to line up properly…

I think @Zanko won’t have much of a problem with German haha. Always surprises me to see fellow-Germans finding their way here when I know absolutely no-one irl interested in anything other than the most current iteration of 40K.

Kuanor · 13 August 2022 23:24

I honestly suspect him to have seen the thread over there, where I mention the lack of responses in “another forum”, and come back here to save this forum’s honour.
(So yes, I know.)

I can only guess!

WHF players are rather hard to catch in our information age, as there is no central place that would frequently stimulate their attention, but they have to be somewhere.
And some of them are into CDs.

I’m clearly not German enough for this!

But the other idea,

is a surprise, I’ll buy it, and good to have found out now! The ogre will get a chain then.

Concerning the shields, here the newest attempt:

We see the following little changes.

Shortened lower spikes (there was some criticism in the other thread)
Denser lattice in the upper part (less but same)
Notches in the vertical parts to imply a blade breaker function of the vertical elements (my gamemate don’t like them being on the front of the shield)
A further variation of the lower edge course (no improvement attempt, just a variant)
The central segment, the one with the torch deco, is further to the front and caved out from the back. You can’t see it right on unshaded plasticard, so here are are more photos of unshaded plasticard where you still cannot properly recognise it:

Again, my gamemate’s idea that shields should be bent instead of flat to look right.
What do you think, overall and of the individual changes?

Zanko · 14 August 2022 06:58

I honestly suspect him to have seen the thread over there, where I mention the lack of responses in “another forum”, and come back here to save this forum’s honour.
(So yes, I know.)

@Kuanor => You know, for a chaos dwarf, honour is an eminently important aspect of his nature!

I like the last shield design better, perhaps forward-facing spikes would still be an option? That way the shields would look a bit more coherent? => I don’t know how to describe it better.

If there were ornaments in the spaces between the shields, it would look cool and decent - I think …

Kuanor · 14 August 2022 19:34

Yes, they are supposed to stay, I just forgot them on the last one.

Also, I’ll try your ornament suggestion after all,

But on a second thought, they look rather Greek. Maybe I should research local CD decoration first. ^^"

Reaver · 14 August 2022 21:01

The archive and most posts by @Admiral are a great place to peruse especially for historical inspiration.

Two of my favorites here and also here

Kuanor · 14 August 2022 22:01

Thx!
In the meantime, I remembered this thread and tried this:

Tomorrow maybe I’ll make a photo with them on dwarfs to judge the overall look.
Is the supposedly Greek pattern still good for something?

We can also see the old and new shield sizes next to each other.

Bessron · 15 August 2022 00:41

Sooo, read the thread this evening. It’s nice what you’re doing. I like the one on the left in the last post best. I like the fact that it’s not exactly symmetrical.

Your embellishments are great. I already have no affinity for GS and then something so fine… Hats off

Kuanor · 10 September 2022 23:48

After my last post I decided against another test copy of a shield and for finally making a bunch, namely 10 of them, and if we don’t like them, the other half of the unit will be different, but, the first one already build.

But I also got rather distracted, so… ^^

…you only get an intermediate state for now.

And also:

I have no idea!
I mean, if you were asking where there hammers are going.
They are there for being cute, because I saw the hammerhead on a goblin and had to copy it for my dwafies, but I’m not yet sure where to put them. They are too small for weapons unless I was planning to make goblin slaves (which I am not, as reasoned in the opening post) and the dwarfs should have better options than going to war with their working tools. The hammers are a tiny but too big for the them to have as tools or secondary weapons on the belts but this is probably still where they will end up.
Wouldn’t like to cover the lovely details of FW war engine crew members but maybe on some RA or LK models or something, maybe if the LK Elite guard (…future plan) has enough room for extra accessories?

Kuanor · 7 October 2022 19:34

For the lack of actually finished results – I’m working an everything at the same time again – I wanted to show you at least some updates.

Main news, and it is already quite old, is more stuff from my etsy seller.
We were trying to fit the size of the FW and RA models, if you remember the comparing photos above, with LKM prints, and the supposedly 28 mm first try came out too small b/c FW and RA rather do 30 mm. The second try, despite my calculation, came out a bit too small again, something obout 29 mm scale.
While I won’t use them as a pure unit (but could mix them in), I tried utilizing their weapons for more variaty amongst the RA Devastators, or a second unit, if you like.

Look:

Repairint the broken part from the musician is still WIP, same as some missing face adjustments for the hads without eye protection (taken from the warriors), but I am quite happy with the guy in the center with an unhealthy habit.
From the guys with open right hand I have to decide if one is getting a standard (WIP) or if a standard and a rifle in both hands is silly, because there is not clear how the dwarf would shoot, and either the standards would have to not require a hand or the rifle be replaced with a pistol (as for the musician).
Overall, if they are supposed to be two separate units of devastators, I’ll have to little musicians and standard bearers (who are to a different grade advisable in different game systems) and too many champions, as half of the dwarfs are trying to look more badass than the next one.

Hopefully I’ll soon have the models for the remaining crossbows and be able to show them as well. In the meantime, LKM added them to their STL shop as well, so they are less of a rarity now.
We (speaking of my supplier again) are also trying to fit the LKM Immortal size-wise, who are, STL-wise, of different size than their “Bighats” and “Death Guard” (Devastators). …
More in the future.

I also got printed parts for war engine conversions which are only half planned through, but the parts looked useful.
(Not having a printer at home or at friends makes the life so much more complicated nowadays…)
Oh, and I have the base model for a future K’daai Destroyer conversion as well. ^^

So you see, there was happening quite a lot here, most is just too early a state for showing.

Still no idea where to use those hammers.

Edit:
Another concern is the colour scheme, still not sure about some of the colours and will have to try it out. Maybe soon, maybe not.

Kuanor · 10 October 2022 18:10

Alright, by not promising anything I successfully tricked myself into actually trying some colours!

Two of them have ~3 colours, one has only blocked off non-metallic parts:

Didn’t work at all. I mean, the colours with each other. Sure, the second non-metallic colour is still missing, but that’s because even the first didn’t look promising.

For not cluttering indefinite numbers of chorfies with paint while guessing, I tried a more systematic approach:

But after starring at the two models even longer, I’m inclined to abandon the brass part at all, even if by itself I liked how the colour came out while I largely dislike painting steel and considered it a boring choice for the longest time. But if steel is supposed to play a prominent role and not become the boring background that lacks the decency of being at least black or grey, I don’t see brass in those dwarfs’ future.
With two sorts of silver/steel instead I can try to find a non-metallic colour that does something with them.
Maybe making steel work is the goal here instead of bad compromises.

flagellant04 · 11 October 2022 02:52

That’s a clever way to work out a colour scheme! Far easier than my route of repainting the same models hahaha. Looking forward to seeing what you settle on!

Kuanor · 11 October 2022 14:55

I’m not yet sure, since, if the colour scheme is to be a somewhat reduced one, with mainly colourless metal, the nuances in hue begin to play a greater role, and then the paper stripes are not that helpful anymore.
For a start, I have an idea, but it hast probably to be tested again on a model directly.

In the meantime, the three Devastators with their newly acquired eyewear:

Do you think the middle one’s is too big and its “chain” too thick and should be redone (one or both of the elements)?

Kuanor · 15 October 2022 12:50

The question above is still open, but I’m at trying colours again.

Two steel tones and brown. TMM is very unthankful for photos, but still.
The left one has a yellow tint on the metal, the right one is missing some brown.

Kuanor · 18 October 2022 17:19

I was playing around with oil paints one evening long, an this is how the two look now (with a hopefully better photo background and lighting):

Painting metallics in artificial light is something I should just not do.
Now by daylight, the two sorts of metal have almost the same colour again and are difficult to distinguish.
The (not metallic but wet) shine – so I read – is going away when the oils fully dry, which takes months. Ugh.
Now I have to decide whether I want to paint full regiments and wait a year to see how they will appear for the rest of the time. ^^"

Anzu · 18 October 2022 17:45

How about applying some (matte) varnish on top? Generally takes away the ‘wet’ shine from non-metallic paints but preserves metallics sufficiently well. Perhaps use it on a test piece first.