A Short Dwarf Log - Emissaries of Kraka Drak

[Hesitant Commie]

Hello, all. This is my first project log and will likely be a short one, but I hope you enjoy! I am working on a regiment of converted Avatars of War beserkers reimagined as dwarf warriors with shields. Let me know what you think and where I can improve, both from a modelling and painting perspective. Thanks!

So far I have finished the champion and musician, and have to WIP rank n' file troopers coming along. Here are the pics:

Champion:


Champion with musician:


And here is one of the WIP:


Cheers!

[Hesitant Commie]

And here's my first update! I am almost finished with the front rank having finished two rank and file dwarfs and started the standard bearer.

Front Rank:


Rank and File:




Standard WIP:


As always, questions, comments and concerns are most welcome!

[Hesitant Commie]

No replies yet?

Oh well, here is another small update. I've had to take a hiatus from painting, but I will post a few WIP pics of some dwarf rank and file to display the greenstuff work I've done on their armor.

Also I made a unit filler today out of the dwarven ancestor statue piece from the kit and some rocks out of the garden. I like the attitude of the dwarf on top but I think it still needs something. Let me know what you think!

WIP dwarfs:




And here is the unit filler. I haven't glued the dwarf down to the rock yet so his final position will be closer to the center. The giant/ogre head looks kind of ridiculous but I like it all the same.



Cheers!

[Dourin]

Always good to see more Dwarven models around. These plastic Berserkers really seem to have impressed most Dwarf generals i know, myself included.

Question: those shields, where did you get them from? They remind me of scibor's celtic shields.

[The Yak]

Great I hate ginger beards!!! They look excellent I like those models and your conversion, sculpting and painting is top drawer. The Ogres head looks a little big to be held like that, could you maybe sculpt a little hair to be gripped from above as it looks like its defying gravity a little. The idea is superb I just think you could make it look more realistic as you definitely have the skills to pull it off

Good Stuff!

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Nice use of Scibor's Celt shields and AoW's berzerkers. Good sculpting on the beard and chainmail, though the scalemail and plate armour parts would have been finer if they were smoother and had sharper edges. As it stands now, the quality of the scalemail just isn't on par with the chaimail's level. Whilst the chainmail is well executed, the armour scales are bulgy. Learning to achieve smooth surfaces for scalemail is quite tricky at first, but dead easy once you've discovered how to do. The painting is flawless. I really like 'em!

Will you use any Avatars of War heroes along the warriors?

[pointyteeth]

Dude, this is gonna be the coolest looking dwarf army out there! You've really caught the Kraka Drak feel with these guys.

[Sully]

These are astounding. I'm not a fan of dwarves, never was, never will be, but these are a marked exception.

How would you comment on working with the AoW dwarf plastics?

[mdiscala]

Pretty cool. I like the unit filler.

[Hesitant Commie]

Thanks for the feedback!

@Dourin - You are right, the shields are scibor dwarf ones. I haven't worked with any resin products before but I love the fine detail they achieved with those shields. Their sculpting tutorials are pretty cool too.

@The Yak - I've taken your advice and attempted to add hair to the ogre... I'm a little unsure of how it turned out so I'll probably keep working with it. I will post the results after this.

@ Karak Norn Clansman - Thanks for your comments on the scalemail. I agree that some of the sculpting isn't as sharp as it could be, but I can only say that each successive attempt has been an improvement so I am learning! I found the perfect tool for sculpting chainmail though; the eye-end of a large sewing needle. It has a natural V-shape that lends itself perfectly for the overlapping affect achieved above.

@Sully - The AoW dwarf plastics are fantastic. I don't own any GW dwarfs as I don't like the current line that much, but I love the look and feel of these guys. The miniature quality rivals anything I've seen by GW, but I don't have any of the most modern kits so I can't really make a full comparison. Definitely worth every penny though.

Thanks to all, and I'll try to get the standard finished so I can show off the front rank!

[Hesitant Commie]

Here is the updated unit filler dwarf with a new hairy ogre... I'm a little on the fence about what I've done, but I agree that conceptually it makes more sense than the former position.





Cheers!

[pscm]

These are some badass dwarfs haha they look so awesome!! Can't wait to see them all together as a unit! really nice work =D

[dadadda]

Beautiful works mate!

[Karak Norn Clansman]

That's better. Now let's see the front rank in next update.

[The Yak]

Yes Man thats the one! Time to get the Tamiya Clear Red paint out for the best blood effects this side of Disneyland!

[Demoulius]

Is one of those dwarves flipping me the finger?

And i thought ogres dident have hair?

Nice models though

[Hesitant Commie]

Phew... Well, I expected to have the next update sooner, but I guess better late than never, right? Today I've been working on painting the unit filler. It is mostly finished except for a few details on the dwarf and cleaning up a few places, but here are the almost done WIPs.

Here is the rock base itself. I added a couple more Celtic spirals and some dwarf runes. I am pretty happy with how it turned out.


The dwarf pictures didn't turn out very well but here they are:

First up is his back to show off his tattoos. I also tried something new by adding a thin blue wash over one half of his body. I was inspired by the Britons from the Keira Knightley King Arthur movie for this;


Next up is the ogre face. I am super happy with how this turned out. I like the skin recipe so much that I am tempted to pick up some ogres and do a full regiment this way!


Finally, here's the dwarf's front. This part still feels incomplete somehow compared to the other dwarfs but I cannot say why.


Hope you like the filler!

[Hesitant Commie]

Just for fun, here are some pictures of my homemade watchtower with some militia crossbowmen (used as Dogs of War).







Cheers!

[The Yak]

Unit filler is a beast! Your right the Ogre head looks top banana! What purple have you used to wash it? Infact out with the full flesh recipe, it looks cool.

Your terain piece is a bit of a cracker too.

What really perks my interest is those militia men, bags of character them. Have you got any more painted up for us to see.

Great work keep it up Com

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Good stuff, that Ogre's face is indeed well painted. I'm not a fan of the blue-washed side of the Dwarf's body, but it still looks OK. I think that the face is lacking because the lower eyelids are not marked out. You could try an Ogryn Flesh wash (perhaps with some Leviathan Purple?) on the eyelid, and fiddle around with flesh colour and washes until you're content. Also, his red gloves seem to be lacking in depth (this is up to taste, of course, and how he actually looks like without a camera to distort things). I'd probably have Ogryn Flesh washed them, and then re-added highlights to achieve a less plain look. But whatever, the model's sweet!

The watchtower and Militia are great. Characterful.