Mudskipper & Pals

Mudskipper; Armiger Class Helverin Scout

Standing ready on the Corbenician shoreline, Mudskipper scouts ahead of the court

Despite featuring on the blog months ago as a WIP, I have only recently finished painting Mudskipper, completing my originally planned 10 knights for the Court of the Fisher King.  There may or may not be truth to the rumours that Mudskipper's completion was slowed by the intrusion of an 11th member of the court...

Far nimbler than the larger knight classes, the armiger chassis is a perfect vanguard engine

Uniquely, Sir Jayce Arron's Knight armour bears heraldic serpents; awarded for his peerless skill as a duellist in the Solstice Games

All Armiger class engines in the court are required to carry a signature deep-sea anchor ensuring that they can weather the unpredictably destructive currents which cut across Corbenic's ocean floors

The arm & carapace mounted harpoon launchers provide Mudskipper with a powerful array of weaponry with which to subdue oceanic fauna of immense size

Mudskipper frequently marches alongside his Helverin counterpart Trenchrunner, forming a potent hunting pack

Although used widely across the court, the colour white is much more predominant across Mudskipper's hull, denoting it's pilot's purity of heart

Mudskipper's hull incorporates a manipulation dendrite near the face plate to assist with deep sea maintenance duties

Mudskipper's honour markings are displayed across its armour panelling

Mudskipper with his Knight Scion Pilot, Sir Jayce Arron

The Armour on the Armiger mirrors that of the pilot

Jayce Arron chooses to fight with twinned weapons when mounted and on foot

Wielding exquisite duelling blades, Jayce Arron is a formidable adversary even outside of his war suit

Sir Arron has famously never refused nor lost an honour duel

Going full Scion

As previously noted on my blog, it's always been my intention to represent the pilot for each of my knights as miniatures outside of their titanic war mounts.  I've now finished the Scions for the two remaining knights in the court. 

Hastur Mordent

Riding the brutal Conga Blue deep into the oceans, Hastur Mordent is an assertive figure in the court, passionate in his beliefs and experienced beyond measure in the intricacies of ion shielding.  Hastur is a highly respected Scion who is always ready to impart his knowledge to younger more irascible members of the court.

Hastur Mordent has single handedly dispelled the widely held belief that an ion shield can only effectively defend a knight suit from one angle.  The level of skill required to achieve multi-directional deflection was previously thought impossible without a dedicated cogitator feed 

Hastur is currently tutoring the Count's son and daughter in the use of Questoris and Cerastus battle suits

Hastur's stoically refuses to upgrade his aged interface suit, claiming it is an 'antique' rather than a lived in relic from his days as a lowly squire

Patrocles Hiralden

Patrocles is the headstrong firstborn son of Count and Countess Hiralden.

Although he rushes to the fore in his Armiger class Warglaive Shellback, he is a capable pilot, able to fight his way clear of even the most precarious situations.

Patrocles constantly competes with the other members of the court to prove his marshal prowess. His rivalry with his sister Ivraine is legendary

Like his sister, Patrocles favours the close range punch of the Warglaive pattern Armiger chassis, using chain blade and melta fire to devastating effect

Despite their competitive nature, the two siblings are often found fighting side by side to overcome foes which would otherwise prove beyond the power of a single Warglaive 

Yet another box...

I previously showed my WIP fisher king crest which I've now finished painting.  Now it's done, I've mounted it on a new box for transporting dice etc and I'm quite happy with how it turned out!

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.