Guilliman's 2nd GD Diorama - Imps vs. nids

[Guilliman]

Hi all once again!

The first courses of school is finally coming to an end and I've slowly started working on my diorama for next Games Day. This is an idea I've had growing since a gaming convention in 2008 when this happened in a friends 40k game:



I loved how the mass of tyranids flowed over the guards like a wave and knew I some day wanted to recreate this in a diorama. After the success of my Valhallan thread here on Warseer and then in Golden Demon I've really fallen in love with dioramas. I have another idea like my last piece but I want to do something completely different this time so I thought this was the perfect timing to bring out this idea.

My plan all along has been to have a imperial guard trench line being overrun by one MASS of tyranids. In one place the line is broken with close combat going on and on the other side of the diorama have the imps still firing. The problem has been the lack of a centerpiece of the diorama. But after doing my true-scale log I had the idea to include one of them in the middle of the mayham. He will also be a good reason for why the nids hasn't reached one side of the trench yet.

I don't only want the diorama to be full of shooting and action but also speed and realistic poses and situations. I've seen to many dioramas with scattered models with their original poses that don't really match each other in a diorama. Perhaps it's often the lack of time for converting, but I really want to put as much focus and work into this as possible.

Now I still want to include as much of realism and humanity as I can like with my valhallans. I want to display the hopelessness in their situation in their faces; some scared, some paniced and some only firing with rage, perhaps one will lie down crying. In the middle of this the marine will represent the hope, much like the general situation for humanity in the 40k universe. Although the guards look to him with hope also he will know his soon sealed fate charging into the tyranids with all the power he can muster. With him one guard standard bearer will be raising out of the trench hoping to regain the morale of the men (perfect chance for a justified free-hand).

This will be as small and packed with detail as possible. But not in the way I hate when a thousand things is happening at once in a diorama. Everything will be linked to each other and not be there without reason. The tyranids will be full of everything I can get my hands on from noramal gaunts, warriors and the flying rippers from FW. I think I'll have to pack them really tight instead of having a big area for them as the biggest challenge I see atm is to avoid having one field of nids and one of imps on the diorama. They have to blend into each other.

I'm going to start by converting the marine and then build the diorama around him. This is where I am after last night's building. It's very WIP. The arms are just there for you to show the approximate pose. I've ordered the death company arms and should have them on monday. And the head is a head from the ultramarines tyrannic war veterans added in photoshop. The armour will have as much detail added to it possible and still having him look like a normal battle brother. He will be cutting at least two gaunts down with his sword and fire at something else simultaneously, probably something bigger. The veteran head is the best head I've found so far that shows the expression I've pictured. I might have to scult it myself as this one's mirrored in PS.







This is the sword arm I'm probably going to use:



Given the size of this project I'm not sure I'll finish it in time for next GD. But I'll never rush it. Matt Parkers slayer sword winning diorama took him almost three years to finish IIRC. I will also do my best to try as many techniqes I can and really evolve as a painter this time. This will be no OSL piece (apart from some details) like the Valhallan diorama where I was never really satisfied with the dark areas.

I hope this get will catch your attention although the pics aren't very interesting yet.

/Filip

[Student]

I like the sound of what you've got planned and having seen how good your Valhallan diorama is I'm really looking forward to seeing this one come together. Good luck.

[Melchor]

Consider me subscribed.

[zis]

This will be a winner i am sure of it.

[punisher_1983]

sounds amazing.
cant wait to see the progress.
im sure itll be a winner.

good luck

[DeathCat147]

Well i obviously have to subscribe to this, if i didnt i could potentially miss out on your excellent works progress .

[Gearhart]

Great idea can wait to see why you come up with

[No-One]

please oh please, make the marine a Deathwatch one, it would be sooo fitting, given what the diorama is going to be

i would definitely make sure to have a small mound of dead 'nids at his feet and injuries/burns from bio-acid on his armor and such

i like your idea for some of the guard being enraged while some are simply panicking/breaking down, definitely seems more realistic as opposed to alot of the "take model A, slight pose change, place next to model B" dioramas out there that don't really seem like they were meshed well, and the faces don't match the actions

[Jo-Jo]

I enjoyed watching your Valhalla diorama getting built: I'm sure this one will be better! (Is that possible?)

[Munchy]

Guilliman!

I am excited to see the start of your next diorama entry, I will have to make a start on my own one soon as well. Definately subscribing to this.

I entered a diorama back in 2008 with a guard & marines vs nids theme, there was a defensive line being attacked, with a thunderhawk gunship landing re-enforcements just behind the line. The centrepiece was a terminator captain supporting the wounded guard officer in one arm whilst shooting away with the storm bolter in the other hand.
Might serve some inspiration for you. Not by best work, but there are a few photo's here: http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0Demon%202008/

A word of warning, despite the painting level (it was a bit rushed, so not up to par) I was also told by one of the judges that it was 'too busy'. Which doesn't make much sense to me, as it is a battle! not many nice, calm, organised battles that I am aware of.

As a suggestion for your entry, if you are having both marines and guard, how about Ultramarines with Macragge PDF? it's a well known battle, and gives you perfect opportunity to work with different models and/or Forgeworld parts. I would possibly avoid any of the larger creatures, but a swarm of hormagaunts spilling over the defences could work well. You could have some being shot down mid leap, or others hopping right over engaged models to attack the ones behind.

[PariahZero]

Dude, love the sound of this diorama! Cant wait to see how you progress good luck

[Guilliman]

Thanks for the link Munchy. I've considered the Macragge option. But I already have an ultramarine army, and want to try something different. Plus I don't want to deal with that damned snow again. I've really wanted to make a deathwatch marine. But I've been unsure if they fit in a full scale battle. After reading the IA article it seams they only fight weird alien races like necrons in small skirmishes recovering alien artifacts. Please tell me I'm wrong? Aso I'd like the marine to be bright. It'd draw the eyes towards it as he will be the centerpiece.

And about your warning Munchy. Yes that's a challenge I'd like to take on. Like I and No-One has tried to describe. There are so many dioramas looking so busy because everything that happens doesn't really fit in the overall scene. My goal is to create a "mass" of events rather than a lot of different ones. I think to make it all work they need to work together some way, which is what I miss in the battle-scene dioramas I've seen. Think a group of imps firing at nids rather than several imps firing at a nid each. This is also why the diorama needs a centerpiece like the marine and the standard bearer.

Also I won't include any creatures bigger than warriors. And probably only one of those to have some variation among the height of the nid swarm. I'll also probably have a sentinel wreck for them to climb over to erase the flatness the mass will produce.

Another idea has come up. A friend called me tonight and suggested that the trench half not yet overrun has just burnt the nids charing them to ashes with a flamer. It's a great idea as I've been struggling with a reason for one side of the trench being overrun and not the other. It'll also give me the opportunity to have some OSL effects and perhaps come up with a realistic effect for burnt corpses!

Also, yes the marine will be wounded and his armour damaged. That's why I really like the tyrannic war veteran face. I want it to look like he's been in the battle for quite some time and now he know it's his final stand. I really like the irony in this as he probably knows more than the guards how doomed they all are, but from outside and in their eyes it looks like he's their savior.

Great to see so much interest from people. I really wish my bits could arrive now so that I could continue working on this. I'm so excited!

[No-One]

Deathwatch operate in small teams, for various different kinds of missions ranging from artifact extraction to protection of an inquisitor, to battlefield bolstering

if you're wanting the Marine to be bright, might i suggest a Space Wolf? The black armor/silver arm, combined with say, bright ginger hair and bright yellow Space Wolf shoulder pad would draw the eye quite nicely, and would be a nice representation for why he's holding to the last, fighting furiously to take down as many as he can with him, though it might be more fitting to change out his chainsword for a poweraxe or something similar

[Munchy]

I like the idea of the overrun sentinel. If you are having one side being more clear due to a flamer, why not also have the sentinel pilot either being put out (rolling around or being patted down) or as a burnt corpse just in front of the lines with dead 'nids just behind him. Eg, he escaped, but wasn't quite fast enough getting back to the trench so they had to flame him too.

On a side note, have you ready my story on nids/guard? check my log, might give you some inspiration. (Page 3 #51)

I agree ref the marine. Something bright, and in a different colour to the guard to make him stand out. Maybe an Imperial Fist, or even a grey knight?

[Ithor]

Deathwatch would make a lot of sense - there's fluff for them being in big battles (Warriors of Ultramar for one). It is, however, indeed incredibly difficult to make a black-armoured marine stand out amongst two hordes. I think something like an Imperial Fist would go down nicely.

[biggreengribbly]

Imperial Fist was going to be my suggestion as well.

Is the implication in your talk of wanting the guardsmen to mesh better with the scene/each other that you will be sculpting them from scratch again? And if so - which uniform/regimental style will you be turning your hands to this time?

[Guilliman]

Imperial Fist was going to be my suggestion as well.

Is the implication in your talk of wanting the guardsmen to mesh better with the scene/each other that you will be sculpting them from scratch again? And if so - which uniform/regimental style will you be turning your hands to this time?

I won't sculpt them from scratch (to spare my sanity), but there will definitely bee some heavy converting. I'll use the cadian models as the catachans are way to macho to give the diorama the realism I want (although I'll definitely have a tough cadian driving a knife though a gaunt's head in the part of the line being overrun). I've yet to decide a colour scheme though.

[Gearhart]

Im excited to see you painting Imperial Fist...But im a little scared on how much your going to put my army to shame lmao
THE BEST OF LUCK! Ill be watching closely for tips as well

[No-One]

actually, thinking on it, you could easily have the best of both worlds

Deathwatch members who finish their terms of service in the Deathwatch return to their original chapter, but they retain the bare-metal of the the Deathwatch left arm, their armor is painted back into their chapter colors though

i completely forgot about that!

[Kontempt]

Sounds great, can't wait to see the finished product. Was thinking with your marine though that you could rotate the chainsword up 90 degrees. That way it would look as if he was letting off a short burst from the Storm Bolter and about to swipe forward with the chainsword. You could have a nid breaking forward from the pack that he is shooting nearly point blank in the face while the rest are just behind. You can imagine a quick burst to the face of the first and then a great big wide arc of the chainsword coming though to swipe the rest away. Just an idea