Genestealer Cult - The Watcher

In the heart of the principal Kabeirian forge temple on Thelema stands the watcher. Raised as a symbol of vigilance and eternal patience, this huge statue gazes up to the heavens awaiting signs of the coming of the Star Children. For generations the faithful have made pilgrimage here in order to pay homage and lay devotions and trophies at it's feet. The histories of the martyrs and heroes of the Kabeiri are attached to the stone with wax seals bearing the wyrm form. The skulls of notable enemies are also laid here to bear witness the the resolve of the cult and show all the fate of those who stand in it's way. Inquisitor Johann Krasek, Warlord Gornak Worldburna, The Ethereal Aun'La Auta and many others pass the ages under the watcher's gaze.

As the centuries have passed, the restlessness of the cult has found a focus in the watcher. So much psychic energy has been soaked into the stones that now the watcher is rumoured to shift it's gaze almost imperceptibly from time to time, as if searching. Deep in empty space the frozen, lifeless hulks of hive fleet Hephaestus drift silently through the void. It is the destiny of the watcher to hold vigil eternally for Gods that will never arrive.

The watcher began life as a pile of broken statuette parts. I set them aside with thoughts of making them into terrain at some point. Then, some time later the idea of a large cult statue struck me. When I saw the giant statue of a patriarch in the new codex it fired me up and I set to work.

The hybrid parts came from a spares bin at my local game shop. I'm not 100% sure what tyranid kits they come from. I cut them up, attached them, worked away with some green stuff and added a cult icon. I wanted to create a sense of scale, so I added the scripts, seals and trophies. I added orc and Tau skulls as well, as the cult has spread far and wide, and I intend to add hybrids of other races in time.

With the painting, I wanted a pale stone so the weathering and grime I added would show easily. The cracks from the original breaks in the statue showed up nicely once it was painted too, which was a groovy bonus. I stippled on the pigments to the lower third of the statue, as this would have been the most touched by devotees. I also used my trusted Typhus Corrosion to add some more grime and dirt to the rocks and such on the base.

With that, I have a rather fetching cult terrain piece/objective marker. You can see here how big he is compared to the two hybrids. 

Now, back to that neglected icon bearer.

Genestealer Cult - Acolyte and Metamorph

Ahh, back among my brothers and sisters of the cult. It feels good. Feels RIGHT. Today I present two new members of the Kabeiri, or the Cult the the Wyrm Forged, brothers Groust Yogoth and Aldren Dekker. The acolyte kit is a box of gene-cursed wonders, with so many gribbly bits and pieces in it I spent two nights just playing with parts before I settled on the two fresh-faced lads above. As a wanderer in the outer darkness for many years, I cannot tell you the joy of so many cult kits and parts available now. It's magical.

Brother Dekker is carrying a rock saw. It was always going to be the first acolyte I made. It's so metal. After joyously rooting about on the sprues, I assembled Dekker in three parts, keeping his head and the saw seperate. Woe betide anyone who glues it all together and then tries to paint it. Yes, you can't see the back of the saw for the most part, but now I know it's given as much love as the front.

There's quite a bit of detail on these boys. pouches, icons, tubing, belts, blasting charges and so on. It's make Batman throw his utility belt over a bridge in shame. It's nice how closely the design echoes the old hybrids from the 80s. The backpack is particularly close, but there are lots of design hooks that hark back. They feel like they were made with no little love. It's the best of both worlds for me; gorgeous modern design combined with the nostalgic aesthetic of the original range. Epic win.

Having learned some lessons on assembling painted sub-assembles lately, I used surgical gloves when handling the parts and made sure to re-drill any pin holes to remove any paint that had gotten in. It's amazing how that can make a perfect dry-fit into a nope once painted.

I tried a little spotting for the highlights on the carapace, I think it makes it look a little rougher, more like a lobster or crab shell. I've seen some folks try mottling on the craniums too, I might give that a go next time.

Brother Yogoth has a metamorph claw and hand flamer, plus a big old face of tentacles. I love the Ymgarl strain. I plan on doing a Ymgarl purestrain soon as well, get the whole family together. 

The claw is fantastic. I don't even know what it does in the various games I can use him in. I just want it. I do hear hand flamers are the thing, which is handy as that's what I gave him. It was hard to get a good angle on the claw, and it's a little blurred there. Sorry about that.

With these two done, I'm almost ready for Kill Team, and that also feeds into my Necromunda gang and my modest 40k force. I'm quite keen on getting the bikers box as there are female heads in there, and I want to sprinkle them into my neophyte unit. I have designs on getting some (meaning all) of the new characters, especially the nexos and magus. The new set of characters are a boon to the cult. The kelermorph in particular is one of the most gorgeous miniatures I've ever seen.

Family time is important. 

So, next up I think it's time for an icon bearer, which I require for every game system I can field the cult in. Loving the utility GW. Something old with something new for that guy I think.

A wee shot of some of the clan. I think the new guys sit nicely beside the venerable old hybrids. I may throw up a post on the evolution (eh?) of the cult ranges in the future.

My reckon my hooded Magus is going to change careers to become a Locus, making way for a new lady to take charge.

Hobbymad - A Treasure Chest of Hobby Goodness

Living in the rural West of Ireland, I'm used to ordering a lot of my hobby supplies from overseas. This isn't usually a huge deal, but as we all know, international shipping has been creeping up over the last few years. I became aware of Hobbymad a while ago, but my recent dealings with them has made me a big fan.

I base all my minis with magnetic base bottoms. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. Number one is transport and storage. When a model is transported in a box lined with sheet steel, or indeed in a metal biscuit tin that model is going nowhere. For frail models like Man O'War, with those masts, or many of the more recent GW minis, this is paramount. 

Some of Hobbymad's range of magnetic base bottoms.

Peel off the paper...

Look at that. LOVELY.

No sliding off the dead tray for these guys. Plus you are sorted for those battling down the fridge games.

This again is super useful if you use movement trays. Line the tray with sheet steel and base the models with magnetic bottoms. Once in the tray, those lads are on there good. No more standard bearers toppling over or half the unit falling out on a hill, or, Gods forbid losing a few lads when lifting the unit. I used to transport my army in a large box with the units already sitting in the army trays, ready to deploy. The magnets kept everyone safe and sound.

The sheet steel in the tray keeps these doggies in line. Sit! Stay! 

Another reason I use them is the finish off the miniature nicely. No untidy under-base, just a nice flat black base. A little obsessive? Yep.

I used to get my base bottoms from Litko. This was fine, but shipping has skyrocketed from the States, and so that was the end of that. I experimented with cutting my own, that proved to be a huge pain in the arse. Cue Rob from Hobbymad and his new groovy router. Now I have access to very well-priced magnetic base bottoms from Ireland with free shipping over €10. He can also cut and etch a bewildering array of materials with it, so tokens, custom shapes, paint racks etc are all now on the cards, including custom orders. I may have cried a little. If you're like me, you love all the paraphernalia of gaming aside from the minis themselves, so access to custom tokens, counters, rulers and so on from a local supplier is a gift from the heavens. 

I do have to say, in addition to this new machine of wonder, Hobbymad carry a truly massive range of paints from Vallejo to the glorious effects paints from AK Interactive. Tools, scenery, putties, dice bags, gaming mats, model kits, basing materials, books, magazines, glues and a teetering pile of other stuff, much of it often hard to reach but incredibly useful products you chase over half the web for normally.

So, certainly for Irish, but really for anyone in reasonable shipping distance (those base bottoms are otherwise only available in the US as far as I can see) do give Hobbymad a look. 

https://www.hobbymad.ie/

https://www.facebook.com/hobbymad/