Snapper and the Blowfish

Mechanical wonders abound!

The Court of the Fisher King

This week saw me finish two new units for The Court of the Fisher King; the Skorpius Dunerider Blowfish and the Sentinel walker Snapper.  The Court is really coming along nicely, with only 2 Skitarii squads, 2 more knights and the Knight Scions for 5 of the knights to go!  If I finish them in the next few weeks, I may even rewards myself with one last Knight and some Kastellan Robots before finally sealing the lid on this long-term project!

The Blowfish

It took a while to complete, but I have finished finished my Skorpius Dunerider, The Blowfish.  I am really happy with the final look of this miniature; I did make some small adjustments to the model including changing the crew and removing the long whip aerials, but in general, I didn't need to make too many changes to the kit.  The main build challenge was the base which was covered in a previous post - painting it was really enjoyable and I would highly recommend a Skorpius kit to any Mechanicus collector!

For a simple concept, this miniature took a lot of effort to complete!

The large resin base is a little excessive, but it is only meant for display, detaching from magnets within the hull when I want to remove the Dunerider

I'm really happy with the waves and spray on the finished piece - it really is skipping over the waves!

The split wake from the turbines works really well

The crew were intentionally all replaced with servitors - they won't get seasick like normal humans!

The Blowfish is painted in the same colour scheme as its Knightly companions

All of the servitor crew are armed with harpoons as is the custom with this force!

I really enjoyed painting this miniature; I really went to town with the rust and weathering! 

The rusted deck and internal hatches all showing signs of water damage

The sea base in all its glory - not the metal tipped flight stems which the hull magnets attach to

The two removable Servitors ever vigilant at their respective portholes

Grim and implacable, the Servitors exit the landing craft

Sacristan Nautolex hitches a ride

Even the Fisher King himself sometimes requires transportation!

Snapper

Snapper was built shortly after The Fisher King but has sat unpainted for almost 2 years!  I finally finished him at the same time as painting the Blowfish.  Working on them both simultaneously allowed me to get them done quickly as I painted similar sections on both miniatures at the same time.

He may be the smallest walker in this force, but he's packed full of character!

From this side, you can see the front facing tazer on the main hull and the additional railing added next to the driver's hatch

Snapper has had his traditional Sentinel missile armament replaced with a multi-shot harpoon launcher!

The rear exhaust ports have filtration caps for underwater operations

Large air tanks fuel the harpoon launcher

Snapper's hull bears multiple yellow lamp lights like his larger Knight cousins in the Court

Quake Hydra Rising

Quake Hydra - Fist of the King

I've finally completed my Acastus Knight Asterius and I'm very pleased with how he turned out.  It was an absolute monster of a kit to build with the additional headache of water effects on the base!

He's Big, he's mean and he likes long patrols along the shoreline.

Early on I decided to show evidence of underwater beasts which the Fisher King's Knights keep in check.  The tentacles were a great way of suggesting a threat while not encroaching too much into the overall scene.  I was very pleased with the overall composition as Quake Hydra is still very much the focal point! 

The 'lasered' tentacle and guard rail make me smile every time I look at them!

The Karacnos Mortar battery compartment still opens and closes exposing its deadly payload!

Just like his 'smaller' brethren, Quake Hydra is studded with extra details like the shoulder tow cable and numerous carapace lamps for his inevitable underwater forays.

Tools and other equipment are stowed away on the back of the Knight.

I like the separation between sandy beach and industrial elements - it's a theme I have incorporated into all of the Knights in the Court of the Fisher King

From the top down, you can see the heavily weathered carapace with little details such as the directional arrows on the Karacnos compartment and additional air vent

Another common theme for my Knights along with lamps are the additional bar grips and flywheels which you tend to find on submarines and boats

Even the Karacnos compartment is heavily weathered 

I painted the mortar battery with metallic red to make them stand out from the contrasting blue/green of the hull

I have added lugs and handles which allow the Knight's pilot to climb up the right leg to enter or maintain the Knight armour.  It may seem like a trivial additional, but it's practical and adds an extra element of realism

I decided to replace the standard secondary weapons of this Knight with Armiger conversion beam cannons.  I did this because it looks awesome!

I like to add different types of grass to the shoreline to simulate an exposed and dry shoreline where only hardy plants survive

Adding a ladder which from the platform into the water is another little nod to the fact that human beings have to live on this planet and they don't all have access to Knight suits!

The transparent resin was a very nerve wracking part of the build; thankfully it all worked out perfectly!  It does however weigh a ton...

I left the cowling off the conversion beam cannons as I liked the archaic brass mechanisms too much to cover them up! 

You can just see the damp seaweed hanging from parts of the Knight.  This was made with a very fine green cotton wool which was set with transparent medium.

Prepare to be converted.  Into your constituent atoms.  Heretic.

The familiar green, blue and white striped armour design common across the court was used on Quake Hydra

Oh hello there; could you please direct me to the library?

The severed tentacle has bubbled flesh where it was 'lasered to death'

The melted guard rail shows just why you shouldn't play with conversion beams.  Fluorescent paints were used to make the rail look like it's been super-heated

Soggy and disgusting.  Must be xenos scum!

The Court grows!  Another 4 knights are coming soon...

The Knight Scion Project

I love to add depth to my projects and I decided that a good way of doing this was to actually create the pilots (Knight Scions) for each of my Knights.

So far I have only finished two, but I'm really happy with the character of each one - my aim is to make each one a unique and interesting miniature in their own right.

Marcus Harnen; pilot of Quake Hydra

Notice how his posture mimics that of his striding Knight?

He's a stocky looking fellow; the perfect look for the Scion of such a mighty relic suit 

Next to his ride, he looks weeny!

Count Octillus Hiralden; pilot of The Fisher King

Come with me to the rolling sea where the weather's calm and still...

A Knight Scion of the highest calibre

The mechadendrites mimic The Fisher King's signature tentacled cockpit - it's also no coincidence that there are 8 of them!

His white hair and beard really draw attention to his face

Based on the now retired Reaver Titan Princeps miniature from Forgeworld, he's heavily converted but still has the regal bearing which the original miniature captured so well.