Three Grey Hunters

While special characters are fun and a big part of an army's flavour, it still remains the troops' job to carry the army. So I decided to go back to my third Grey Hunter pack, and as it turns out, it had seven models to it. My plan being to build it up to ten models, and my current trend of posting three models at a time, this suited me well.

 Another stroke of luck for me that I needed two bolters for these guys, and I happened to have the two from my latest Thunderwolf Cavalry kit unused. This model's chainsword is also from the same kit. The bolt pistol on his hip came from Forgeworld's Phobos-pattern bolt pistol pack.

 I already had one meltagun in the pack, and with the number now coming all the way up to ten, I could include another one. The previous one was from Forgeworld's Legion Meltagun pack, and I didn't want to have two of them in one pack, so this one came from Space Marine Tactical Squad kit, if I remember correctly.
The model's chest and shoulder pads came from Mk.VI armour set, with Ragnar's symbol sculpted on the left pauldron.

The empty eye socket was originally a minor sculpting mistake. Instead of fixing it, I decided to use it to give the model some more flavour and made a wire going from the empty socket to a cybernetic implant over his right ear (which I now conveniently didn't have to sculpt either). The reason I sculpt many of the models' heads myself is to avoid making them all look like they're cut from the same cloth, so I believe taking small mistakes and using them to give some of the models a unique look makes perfect sense.

I expect the next update will show these three painted, probably along with the whole pack in a group portrait. That is assuming I manage to not assemble my Deathwatch Kill Team all of next week...

Ulrik the Slayer, the Wolf High Priest

Back when I started my Space Wolves army, I considered just buying GW's official Ulrik model. Though old, the model's pose was far better than the original Ragnar Blackmane model's (I wonder if they're actually ever going to remake him), and Ulrik looked like he could handle himself in a fight.
Then GW remade him. Now, I do think the new model looks more impressive and probably has higher level of detail than the previous one, but the pose could only look more static if he was modelled taking a nap. This is unacceptable of any Sky Warrior, nevermind one fierce enough to earn a salute from Angron himself.
So, as with Ragnar and Logan before him, I eventually started working on my own version of the Wolf High Priest.

 The torso piece originally came from a Space Marine Apotechary, and I specifically saved it for a Wolf Priest. I find that the vials hanging from it are appropriate for a character doing the double duty of an Apotechary and a Chaplain, and while Wolf Priests don't use the same exact methods and medicines as codex Apotecharies, I imagine there would necessarily be a lot of overlap, as Space Wolves still are Astartes, and there are only so many ways to provide medical care for barely understood physiologies.

The backpack, as well as the arms, came from the Mk.II Power Armour. I decided the ancient model would be appropriate for the oldest non-Dreadnought, non-Wulfen Space Wolf still in the galaxy.
I also decided to custom-sculpt the wolftail talisman hanging from the plasma pistol, since I no longer had any of the smaller ones from the Wulfen kit handy.

The Crozius was originally (and technically still is) a Power Maul. I cut off two of the flanges and expanded the other two into stylized wings, finally sculpting a wolf skull on top of that.

The black armour made painting considerably faster than with most Space Wolves.
I decided to paint the gemstones on Ulrik's shoulders and on the forehead of his helmet red, and the vials on his belt in colder colours, specifically green and blue. The overall effect turned out great, with the few spots of colour standing out well in the midst of the black armour

I hadn't originally left any space for Ulrik's personal sigil, the stylized wolf paw print, but decided to paint it below/on the model's left knee. A kneepad would have worked better, but still, I'm reasonably happy with the way it looks.

The model's cloak was painted in three layers, with Khorne Red base, shaded with Nuln Oil, and Mephiston Red and Evil Sunz Scarlet highlights. It ended up looking appropriately deep red without compromising too much on highlighting.

A Trio of Blood Claws, painted

Between Leman Russ being on the way from Forgeworld and Codex Deathwatch being published, it was a pretty good week for my tastes. Of course, I preordered my copy of Codex Deathwatch straight from GW, not stopping to think that I could have received it a lot quicker if I had waited to order it from an independent stockist in the country. As it is, I have to wait for the delivery for about a week, because there are no GW stores within a reasonable driving distance.
In the meantime, I'll continue on my first Blood Claws pack (I keep saying "first", because I consider Skyclaws to be just a subset of Blood Claws, and because I intend to have a couple more packs in the future).

 The mullethawk guy was possibly the blandest of the trio, with just a nose ring and some facial tattoos (repeated on the helm in yellow) to show off his individuality. Some warriors are marked for greatness from early on, and this guy is probably not one of them. Then again, his stance shows considerable discipline for a Blood Claw, so he may yet go on to do great things. All up to the dice, really.

 I decided to paint this guy with a dark skin and bright red hair, just to make sure he stands out from the rather large pack. The decorative left shoulder guard suggests he already has earned himself some renown.

 Finally, the facial tattoo man, who, prior to painting, was definitely the least interesting. I decided to simply paint some deep red tattoos on his face, again repeated on his helmet. I like to imagine that a warrior who has chosen a specific set of decorative elements on his skin will usually also have them on his armour in the appropriate colour (yellow for Blood Claws, red for Grey Hunters, white for Long fangs etc.).

Here's the whole trio posing together. The whole pack now numbers 13 Blood Claws. I intend to field 15 of them in a Stormwolf, very possibly with a Wolf Priest, so the pack is nearly done now.

A trio of Blood Claws

My first Blood Claws pack's strength is currently at 10 men. Most of time, that would be enough for me, as I intend to usually load them into a drop pod with no upgrades, but my original plan was to have a 15-man Blood Claws pack loaded into a Stormwolf, to attack an already weakened enemy, so I want to at least have the models for it.

 I decided to leave one of the models completely bald, though I plan to add some medium to heavy tattoos or face paint in the painting stage. I may also paint some stubble on him. The Mk.VI legs from Forgeworld look somewhat less than agile, despite the fact that agility is supposed to be one of the major points of the armour mark. However, for a Blood Claw recklessly charging into battle, that works well.

 I decided to give this model a somewhat wilder hair. Once I came up with the idea, I also decided to make his chin and nose a bit pointier, to give an overall troll-like look. I'm thinking of painting him in a little more unusual skin and hair colour combination, too.

This model is a fairly standard Space Wolf, with a mohawk and some longer hair in the back. A mullethawk, if you will. Space Wolves are supposed to be scary, and for any fashion conscious xenos, this guy would be a living nighmare.

As was established last week, I expect to paint these by next update.