Brother Raymond (very pic heavy)

[edmundblack]

This world was wracked by storms both natural and unreal. The air groaned as thunder rumbled, the blizzard showing no signs of abating. Snow came down, turning the mud into a freezing quagmire, mingling with ice, blood and warp-spawned matter. The bodies of humans lay all around, some were remnants of those loyal Imperial Guard forces who sold their lives dearly, and others were traitors who threw in their lot with the corrupting forces of Chaos.

As the lightning crackled around the landscape, a figure moved, stalwart against the tide of the daemonic, the foul, the heretic and traitor. Embattled, guns blazing and filled with the Emperor’s righteousness, the lone figure fought on, slaying vast amounts of minions thrown at it, desperate as they were to fight a way through.

Wave after wave of lesser Daemons came at the figure, keen to show their worth to their masters, ever vying for their favour, however futile their efforts were: with each turn of its torso, each nuance and subtle parry of its mighty sword saw handfuls of these degenerate beings slain before its might. The fuel-tank had been emptied a while ago now, and the pulses from its main weaponry was getting fewer and fewer, but no less strong. The psychic prowess which powered its weaponry and drove Brother Raymond onwards was starting to falter – even for a warrior as mighty as he, bestowed with an honour as great as his could only go on for so long. A way forward couldn’t be found, so beset was he. Yet falling back wasn’t an option; there was still innocent native populace to be evacuated, a procedure which began 3 days ago, and this bridge into the city had been held for 5 days non-stop by this lone figure. 7 days previously, he and a few Brothers had made their stand, knowing that it was here where their efforts would be required. As the battle wore on, each Brother was either wounded and incapacitated, or had to take the fight elsewhere in order to hold the line. Every now and then an inter-squad Vox communication would be heard: a Brother on the other side of the city, a snatched piece of communication from a transport shuttle.

And on he fought. The Warp be damned, he’d not be taken now. Now was not his time, and his faith in his Brothers and in the Emperor would see him triumph.

Time skipped ...

The ground jumped ...

And then the air moved. From at once an extreme distance and very close to him, Brother Raymond saw a monstrous collaboration of machine, beast and Warp-spawned nightmare. The portal opened wider, and the Soul Grinder strode forth, another horde of chittering lesser Daemons scurrying around its legs towards Brother Raymond. Seeing this new oncoming threat, he steeled himself for another battle. One last battle, and then he’d take his place in the Dead Fields beside countless other Brothers.

Drawing upon the last of his psychic might, he waited until the last possible moment and unleashed the darkest and most powerful psychic power upon the new arrivals: Dark Excommunication. Its effects were as expected; unable to maintain their more fragile connection to the Warp, the lesser Daemons disintegrated, the unreal forms blowing away on the howling gale and motes being washed into the mud. The Soul Grinder, uncaring as to the fate of such trivial afterthoughts strode forward, arrogant and sure of its victory. It roared defiance at Brother Raymond, and then unleashed a bolt of pure Warp energy at him. It struck Brother Raymond’s torso, unsteadying him, yet still he stood. The power washed over him, the Soul Grinder bawling in triumph and charging to finish off what he thought would be an easy victory.

But Brother Raymond knew otherwise. As the Soul Grinder drew nearer, mechanical arms moved, circuitry re-engaged and the power source stabilised. Nearer the Soul Grinder came, spitting flame and bolts of Warp. These were ineffectual against Brother Raymond, and as the Soul Grinder came within striking distance and lunged, he swiftly moved and with a mighty strike of his sword clove the Daemonengine in two, separating torso from biomechanical legs. The torso rolled onwards a few metres and ended face up, the Daemon powered machine spitting defiance and death at its victor. Striding forward, Brother Raymond raised one monstrous mechanical foot and brought it down upon the Daemonengine’s head, scattering its shell into a thousand pieces, the rest of its body disintegrating as its connection to the Warp was lost.

And then ... nothing. All around him the relentless horde was disappearing. His Captain and bodyguard must have slain the Daemon Prince who led the invasion, and having done so the connection which the forces of Chaos had was diminishing rapidly, their forms being drawn back into the Warp. This planet was saved, along with at least 14% of its population. Brother Raymond’s part in this was but a small one, and the first of many ...


Want some pics?

Spoiler

If you read the story, you may pass. ;)

Same techniques applied for this guy as other Grey Knights, only more of it! And yeah, I know - it's too cool not to. A big walking battle mech? Yes please!

Started off by spraying it with Chaos Black, then applied a few thin layers of boltgun metal. Then I applied some watered down black ink, did that a few times to get a flat layer and then started blending up boltgun and chainmail through chainmail and into mithral silver. All in all, the silver took around 3 hours non-stop to do. Just sat down one Saturday afternoon with the radio and got to it. Couldn't be happier either, loved it. The gold is as normal too - dwarf bronze, brazen brass, shining gold, chestnut ink and then burnished gold with a mithral silver highlight.

Some detail bits for you:





Cookie anyone who can spot anything different or unusual about any of those weapons. (and no, it's because they're push-fit!)

Base:



Same techniques here too. Purple slate with dry brushed white and snow flock. With the snow flock, I added some bicarbonate of soda to it before sticking it on. Makes it look far more snowy. The feet wouldn't however stick to the slate on their own, so if you look closely at some of the side-on shots you can see a pin going through the foot. Each foot as a pin going through the slate it's stood on and through the base, and the pin goes up through into the shin area. Tricky to do, but worth it!

STOP!

Hammer time.



Closeup on the pilot:



As you can see, I ditched the main "harness", opting instead for the two simpler bars. I think this looks better and makes it look a lot less like a baby harness. I also didn't stick on the small armour plate in front of the groin, which overall makes it look a lot more battle-mech and a lot less mother-care.

Heraldic shield:



Simple red & white scheme with a black ink "R" (for Raymond) and some red and black script. It works, and I like it. So nurr. And why Raymond? I've named this chap after a personal hero of mine and someone who means a hell of a lot to me: my Dad.

And just because (props to Lew for the tips ):



Sooo, yeah: thoughts questions etc etc, always welcome! I throughly enjoyed doing this model, it was really really good fun to do. I know it's not to everyone's tastes, but I like it. And with some simple model-making choices the overall look is improved. If asked, I'd give the kit a damned good 9/10. This shows what GW can do when they want to, and only bodes well for future large-scale kits. And I got it at 10% off from the local, so cheaper = good too.

And now I think I'll take a break. Properly this time.

[The Dark Pwner]

Fantastic!

Love the painting, Love the harness (or lack of) and Love the fluff.

[Arlins]

Love the depth and tones of your metalics

[Silas]

Very fun story, and the model is beautiful.

Well done, sir.

[Michael]

Oh f*** yeah, I was waiting for this.

Fantastic job eb, just awesome.
The sword looks brilliant, you have a really unique effect going on there. The metallics are very smooth and have a great hue and shine to them, the lenses are perfect and I really like the heraldic shield and the story behind it!
The only thing I would add are some burn marks on the flamers muzzle, but that's just personal taste and takes nothing away from the mini.

I love it!

[Cordova]

B.E.A.Utiful.

He looks sweet.

Totally awesome. Are the hands either a - magnetised or b - screwbits (the hexagonal things)?

[edmundblack]

Thanks chaps!

Fantastic!

Love the painting, Love the harness (or lack of) and Love the fluff.

Ta muchly! Yeah, the harness is questionable at best for me. Much better without. Did toy with the idea of going completely without it, but it didn't work. A good compromise I thought.

Love the depth and tones of your metalics

Thank you. Black ink is your friend. Badab black is shine killer.

Oh f*** yeah, I was waiting for this.

Fantastic job eb, just awesome.
The sword looks brilliant, you have a really unique effect going on there. The metallics are very smooth and have a great hue and shine to them, the lenses are perfect and I really like the heraldic shield and the story behind it!
The only thing I would add are some burn marks on the flamers muzzle, but that's just personal taste and takes nothing away from the mini.

I love it!

Psychic are you? Or just thinking what I was thinking, that is "too cool not to"? Which it is. It's freakin' cool! I know what you mean, but when I had spent as long as I did getting that nice gold colour, I really didn't want to do so. Anyway, it had, erm ... washed off in the melted snow. Yeah, that's it. I was also pleased with how the sword came out too. Didn't fancy doing the "studio" scheme, it's a little bit ... obvious. I'd much rather tie it in to my other GKs like that. Didn't take that long either, half an hour perhaps. Just coated it in brushed on matt varnish once finished and it's sorted.

B.E.A.Utiful.

He looks sweet.

Totally awesome. Are the hands either a - magnetised or b - screwbits (the hexagonal things)?

Thanks 'Dova! The arms are indeed pushfit, but that's not what is special about one of them. The guns however are glued on, because they're awesome enough and aren't pants like the psilencer.

Also - glad the fluff was liked too. Thought it added to the whole thing just that little bit extra.

[Cordova]

Give us a clue Ed.

[Architech]

hammer is some of your best work

I just wish...that even with how well you did...the thing didn't always have a hint of looking odd...the guy just isn't integrated which is sad on an otherwise impressive model

[edmundblack]

Give us a clue Ed.

Hand area.

hammer is some of your best work

You think so? Really? Gawsh! I don't, but hey.

I just wish...that even with how well you did...the thing didn't always have a hint of looking odd...the guy just isn't integrated which is sad on an otherwise impressive model

I do kind of get what you're saying, but it's not quite as bad as it might look. Because a lot of the model is forward from it, and he'd need a good position from which to see, it's OK. Better without the harness on, certainly.

[Vent]

Dig! High levels of Dig!

You've taken a miniature that I don't really like that much and made a great paint-job on it. I really like it, and the base sets it off really nicely.

- The silver is smooooooooth, really good looking.
- The colors, where they exists, are eye catching, yet subtle in their intensity. The gems especially.
- Power Weapons are stunning. Really amazing, the hammer blows me away. It looks mint.

There's a couple of points I'd like to ask about:
- Maybe adding some rubble around his feet? I like how he looks on the base, but I reckon the weight would crack into the rock he's standing on. I think that would add a really nice dynamic to the miniature, show some real weight, wouldn't take much, just a few pebbles and a crack...
- Did you consider using different silvers (Or even a grey) for parts of the armor? Don't get me wrong, the silver is amazing, but its just that there's so much of it. I agree that this is what makes your choice of colors stand out even more. But when your rotating image shows the back it's basically just all silver. I'm just wondering if you thought of anything different you could of used? This is one of the problems I have with the miniature and while I love the concept of the walker it seems like a miniature I could airbrush Silver and then walk away from... I doubt I'll ever buy one so I wanted your opinion now that you've worked on it.
- Flamer: I agree with Michael about the flamer. A little burn effect there would look nice and if you pushed it up to the burnt blue look it would tie in nicely with the hammer / sword blue. At the very least maybe blacken the holes. They're vents (See what I did there?) for the flamer.

Overall an awesome miniature. One that'll be intimidating as hell on the battlefield... NOW SMASH IT! :elaugh:

[edmundblack]

Thanks Vent!

It's a Grey Knight. Grey Knights are silver. So it's silver. So nurr. I do get what you mean, but the mechanical parts are a darker tone than the photo(s) show (I had to use a flash to get the detail showing, so it's been a little bleached out). And yes, I know - flamer burn marks. But I like the goldy goldness of the burner, and he's just touched down and hasn't started yet.

Re. the stone. I could, but it's real slate and a bugger to break with control. What it does do however is really lower the centre of gravity making it far more stable. Combined with the larger base, and he's not going anywhere quickly.

NOW SMASH IT!

NO! The very idea ...

Anyone got any ideas on what's different about the hands yet? Suspect AoB might know. (summon @Angelofblades )

[Omega1907]

Man, what an amazing model

Your paintjob is just ... awesome ... really, really love the sword (would you mind it, if I'd copy that energy weapon style? )

And the fluff is great too, gives the model so much more character, and you can see him cutting that soulgrinder apart with his sword, if stare at him long enough

ps: No, I'm not insane, I just do like I am

[The Dark Pwner]

For the life of me I cant tell the difference with his hands. I think your fibbing.

[edmundblack]

Man, what an amazing model

Your paintjob is just ... awesome ... really, really love the sword (would you mind it, if I'd copy that energy weapon style? )

And the fluff is great too, gives the model so much more character, and you can see him cutting that soulgrinder apart with his sword, if stare at him long enough

ps: No, I'm not insane, I just do like I am

Thanks Omega! Glad it was all appreciated. As for "copying", good luck - I have enough trouble trying to do that, but feel free to use it as a source. (just post pics, OK? ).

For the life of me I cant tell the difference with his hands. I think your fibbing.

\o/

Mission Accomplished!

[commandojimbob]

Ooooo Dreadknight ! Me likes a lot, especially the Hammer and sword - great effects !!!

Congrats on another great model, a la EB style !

[Angelofblades]

lol EB. Im surprised you glued the hands together. I didn't, that's how I'm able to switch close combat weapons on my DK.

[Enigmacookie]

Immense work, EB. Some of your best work yet, I think. It's very impressive how you apply the technique you use on your smaller models on this significantly larger model without making it seem less/more detailed (if that makes sense). Very nice, thanks for sharing

[edmundblack]

Ooooo Dreadknight ! Me likes a lot, especially the Hammer and sword - great effects !!!

Congrats on another great model, a la EB style !

Thanks CJB! I wouldn't say I have a "style" as such, as that really pins you down into one place. I'd say I have a "way I like to do things", which is all anyone can ask for I think.

lol EB. Im surprised you glued the hands together. I didn't, that's how I'm able to switch close combat weapons on my DK.

Told you AoB would get it. (sort of) They're all glued, yes. But as there's three right hand options and only two right hand finger pieces, I needed one more. So I made some fingers to fill the gap. Cookie to anyone who guesses which one has the made ones instead.

Immense work, EB. Some of your best work yet, I think. It's very impressive how you apply the technique you use on your smaller models on this significantly larger model without making it seem less/more detailed (if that makes sense). Very nice, thanks for sharing

And lo, from the mists of snow-land a wild EC appears ...

Thanks EC! One thing I was quite keen on was making it match the others painted to this standard so far. Thankfully, it worked out. I'd even go so far to say that it worked out better than I expected, especially when I plug the sword arm in. Which is nice.

[Omega1907]

As for "copying", good luck - I have enough trouble trying to do that, but feel free to use it as a source. (just post pics, OK? )

I never actually said, I CAN copy it, only asked if you mind when I'd do it
Said in another way: If I can choose between your style and the GW style, I'd go with yours

ps: I think you made the fingery of the sword... But could be wrong ...