The Law Wins.

...the law always wins.

At least, that's what Arbitrator Titus Dio would have you believe. He's been on a bit of a journey, really. You guys might've missed Dio the first time round as I started work on him before I created this dedicated blog.

(By the way, sorry for the huge lag between updates! The perils of real-world stuff.)

Anyway, back to the conversion. This is a (grainy) photograph of the original model I used:

And here's most of what I did with it:

I liked the head I added to it; it reminded me somewhat of Gordon Ramsay! It progressed a bit further than this before I sent it off, but I forgot to take pictures. On November 6th I received a tantalising email from Steve:

Planning for Titus is currently active, i've pulled him apart into component parts and im having a play around to get the best from the pose. I've had a thought on the right arm though - the outstretched arm is a good idea, but I think the pose is over used. I've had an idea that im so stupidly confidant you'll love im not going to tell you anything about it until it's done.

I know, im a cruel bastard...

Yes, he was... but today he finally unveiled what he's been doing. Here's his latest news:

"Despite a near severed finger i've got the final assembly done on Arbitrator Titus Dio. Still some GS work to do but not a great deal. Very pleased with the pose on him, there's a very cock sure attitude to him."

I know I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this turns out... I really like how Steve's subverted my suggestions and come up with a very cool pose for the model. I suppose it also shows how little changes can really change a model!

Hot Women...

A bit of a digression today - I found this model on my desk and it fell beneath my knife! It's the Escher with Heavy Plasma Gun with the Heavy stubber from the other Escher Heavy. I then started working on changing the Heavy Stubber into a flamer; it struck me as something an Inquisitorial henchman might carry.

The model is quite heavily blu-tacked, so bear with the unsightly bend in the flamer! The plastic nozzle on the flamer will go to a fuel tank on her back.

Aliens and Arbitrators

So, Hurk arrived from Eolith. A really nice model. The sculpting is really crisp:

Also, I mentioned that I'd been working on some Enforcers, and here's a little bit of proof:

My aim is for a five-man patrol team featuring a Proctor with power maul and laspistol, a Judge with shotgun, a Judge with grenade launcher (and various gas grenades) and then two Judges with power mauls and suppression shields. Hopefully I can get round to a few more pictures soon!

Inquisitor Balthier

A new update! Inquisitor Balthier is going to be one of the key characters in our forthcoming INQ28 campaign. Here's the latest pictures:

I've also been working on a squad of five Enforcers; hopefully I'll be able to take a picture of them soon.

Alien-ation

Well, there's been a bit of a break but I had enough cash left over from payday in order to order a model from Eolith Miniatures: The Hurk model is designed to be a small model at 54mm scale, but at 27mm tall he'll fit perfectly amongst my INQ28 stuff, I reckon.

Here he is:

I'm going to be looking at him with an eye to converting him to better fit into 40k - which will probably entail a weapon swap or two... I liked the idea of including a minor race never really seen on the grand 40k battlefields. I did wonder whether to co-opt the Scythian race, perhaps most famous for killing the first Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists. They're apparently a race of warrior-monks that favour poisoned weapons. I did consider giving him some form of crossbow-type weapon, or a bizarre energy-based pistol. Suggestions are more than welcome!

As far as painting, I did get the image of some of these poisonous frogs:

Perhaps that'll help give an idea of where I'm thinking. Hopefully I'll be able to post with some more information soon!

By request...

I've been snowed under with starting a new job so I haven't done much in the way of modelling, and El_Diablo has been working on his Death Guard. As a result things have been a bit quiet here at INQ28 HQ!

Still, I wanted to thank thenimbus for commenting my previous blog post, and to take the time to answer some of his questions.

"A scale shot with him besides another fully painted model would be cool :)"

Well, here goes... the first of these pictures shows a normal 40k Marine alongside our truescaled Deathwatcher:

Secondly, we have the Marine alongside the Inquisitor Adorno (Solomon Lok) model:

"I hope you don't mind me asking what parts were used for him? I'm not really familiar with the Space Marine model range, but would it be safe to presume those legs are from a Terminator? Also that helmet he wore in an earlier iteration, where was that from? Where's the left shoulder pad from?"

I am going to try to put together a guide (with pictures) when I create a few more of the Deathwatch; El_Diablo and I were talking last night and we both agree that the prospect of a truescale Kill-Team is too good to pass up! In the meantime, you'll have to bear with a very basic barebones guide.

Insofar as components, this Sword Bearer is comprised primarily of bits taken from the ordinary Power-Armoured Marine and his Terminator-Armoured counterpart. For the Power-Armoured components, I primarily used the standard Space Marines Tactical Squad, whilst for the Terminator bits required, I used the Space Marine Terminator Squad.


I used a pair of legs from the Terminator boxed set. In order to make them look more like Power Armour, I removed the hip plates with clippers and green-stuffed the thighs and the calves to be smooth surfaces. I liked the idea that the Space Marines' shins were more heavily-armoured than his calves, and if you look in the painted pictures you can see that I tried to emphasise that.

The torso is more interesting: I used two components:


The front piece is obviously from a Terminator, whilst the back is from a Tactical Marine. A bit of work is needed to remove the top part of the Terminator torso, and to file it so that it sits properly against the tactical back. I removed everything beneath the curved part of the tactical back so that it sat better on the Terminator legs, but beyond that I didn't really do anything more complicated.

The helmet you asked about:

It's from the Black Templars upgrade sprue, whilst the Marine's arms (or at least the one with the purity seal) is from the Dark Angels upgrade. As is the Sword Bearers Chapter pad, which started life looking like this:



Hope that helps to be going on with - I'll try to put together a more comprehensive guide soon!

Deathwatch Update

Well, I said that El_Diablo was working on the true-scaled Space Marine... little did I know that he would surpass everyones' expectations!

I was in a rush to meet a(n admittedly somewhat self-imposed) deadline to send my INQ28 models to El_Diablo. This, coupled with the fact that this particular model was my first attempt at "true-scaling", meant that he was a little rough around the edges. El_Diablo smoothed out my green-stuffing just a tad before proceeding with the paint. He decided on a weathered look for his power armour, befitting his assignment to the Deathwatch. The Ordo Xenos accepts highly-skilled Marines into its ranks - they are an elite within an elite, forever marked by their experiences. Or, as El_D put it, he's the type of Marine '...that would headbutt a Carnifex just for giggles.'

When I made the Marine, I wanted to pay tribute to El_Diablo for helping me with the INQ28 project. As a result, I made him a Veteran of the Sword Bearers, his DIY Chapter. In fact, it was his Sword Bearers project that first caught my eye, and started a meaningful working relationship and friendship that I'm most appreciative of. (Sniff sniff!) It also gave El_D an opportunity to paint red - the color he's most known for!

To thine own self, be true (scaled)

Today's update has been a long time in coming, but here it is: I wanted to create a Space Marine to feature in our Inquisitor games. He's really going to be mostly used as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and will only feature in the latter stages of the campaign, though I have entertained thoughts of creating a Deathwatch Kill-Team to feature in a Space Hulk-inspired game using Inquisitor rules.

"True-scaling" is a craze that's spread throughout the internet which maintains that the Space Marines are wrongly-scaled as-is (the fluff states they are much taller than Humans, for example). I've always considered it somewhat unnecessary, as so much of the 40k range is out of scale with eachother. The Orks should be bigger, the Tau smaller... at the end of the day, the figures are purely representative, and it's not the end of the world.

However, Inquisitor entails far greater detail, and much more attention is given to the figures in question. If a Space Marine were to feature in our Inquisitor campaign, I'd want them to be massive, as befits the Adeptus Astartes.

Here's a few of my WIP pictures (which aren't fantastic, I must admit.)

Today El_Diablo sent me a WIP picture of this Marine, and he's looking pretty good so far:

Nova Castille, Pt. 2

I promised before in an earlier post that I would detail the Inquisitors participating in our forthcoming campaign for Nova Castille. Here's a very short summary - when we start posting battle reports, you'll begin to see things in further detail.

Inquisitor Adorno: (Ordo Malleus, Radical)
Adorno is a (relatively) young and foolhardy radical Daemonhunter whose philosophical leanings would likely ally him with the Xanthites. Adorno has devoted his Inquisitorial career to mastering the dark arts of sorcery through a combination of forbidden lore, dangerous experimentation and focused willpower. Early in his career, he summoned a daemon from the warp with the intent of interrogating it for knowledge. His rash desire for dark knowledge forced him to make his greatest mistake - the daemon was able to break through the improperly-inscribed wards, possessing the Inquisitor and attempting to devour his soul.

After a tumultuous struggle, Adorno was able to force the daemon from his body, though the experience scarred him physically and mentally. Loath to let the daemon go, he bound it into one of his few surviving servants, creating the Daemonhost Seraphael. Adorno has attempted to divine what information he can from it over the years.

Obsessed, driven and intelligent, Adorno has resolved to learn from his earliest mistakes, researching carefully to ensure that he can avoid the pitfalls that so often destroy lesser practioners of the malefic arts. Yet his own arrogance will inevitably be his undoing.

As yet, Adorno's radicalism is not widely known, and he has worked hard to ensure that remains the case. He considers his retinue ultimately expendable instruments of his will. He has come to Nova Castille after receiving information that the planet contains dark knowledge that can be turned to his benefit.


Inquisitor Balthier (Ordo Hereticus, Puritan)
Alaric Balthier is an Amalathian Inquisitor, dedicated to preserving the Imperium so that the Emperor may be afforded the ability to bring His plans to completion. A member of the Ordo Hereticus, Balthier has brought several high-profile cults to account for their heresies. Balthier is also infamous for prosecuting his fellow Inquisitors for their actions. This has led some Inquisitors to be wary around Balthier; his supporters claim that only those with something to hide should be afraid of his methods.

Balthier has been ordered to Nova Castille by his masters, who have ordered him to investigate the apparently insignificant world for corruption. Balthier has been forced to place his own investigations on hold, and considers his task a nuisance.

Inquisitor Hoth (Ordo Xenos, Motivations UNCLEAR)

Villem Hoth is an Inquisitor with a great many tales to tell. As an Interrogator he was apprenticed to an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus. Hoth discovered his master was communing with daemons and called in the Ordo - and the Grey Knights. Hoth endured severe interrogation and investigation to prove his purity after his master was executed for his heresies. However, the only Inquisitor who would take on the Interrogator was a member of the Ordo Xenos.

A morally complex man, Hoth has always maintained that the Inquisition needs thinking men, and not fanatics. He has little time for politicking, which has impeded his rise through the Inquisition - perhaps even more than his association with a reviled heretic. As a Daemonhunter, Hoth would likely be classed as a rabid puritan. As a member of the Ordo Xenos, his views are more lenient; he has had dealings with aliens before, and expresses opinions that might be considered radical by some within the Ordo.


Inquisitor Ferox (Ordo Hereticus, Radical)
A Recongregator, Ferox believes in restoring the Imperium to its former glory by removing those who cause stagnation and decay. His pernicious influence spreads throughout the sector. He has been drawn to Nova Castille by rumours of the White Snake Cartel; they are said to have operations across several systems, and contacts with several highly-placed individuals. Infiltrating the cartel will prove beneficial, if it can be done...

Ferox's Forces

Here are some of the forces of Inquisitor Ferox, a radical belonging to the Recongregators who'll be causing havoc in the forthcoming Nova Castille campaign. He'll be played by my friend Darren, and indeed these models are painted by him.

Inquisitor Ferox, Radical Recongregator. He originally had a pistol in his outstretched hand, but after Darren and I revised Ferox's character concept, we went instead for him using his formidable psychic powers instead. The hand is taken from a classic Necromunda Ratskin Chieftain.

Ferox's Acolyte, Raef; He's made from a Vostroyan officer with a head from the Cadian Command Squad. The pose has been enhanced by sawing the bolt pistol arm and reattaching it at a more natural angle:

The (as-yet unamed) Torturer and Medic working for Ferox. He should be obvious; a mix of Cadian and Catachan command squad parts: