Saturday, June 4, 2016

Grimdark

    A little diversion into the forty-first millennium.

     When I was in high school I was somewhat obsessed with 40k and more specifically the Imperium.  I never gamed or even collected a complete army, but I was fascinated by the art and the setting: the atmopshere of decayed grandeur and the mixture of the arcane, the primitive, and the futuristic.  I will try to avoid the inevitable anti-GW rant, but I will say that the recent emphasis on the epic (big war machines, big battles, etc.) has resulted in a blander, less original "space wars" feeling (which is one of the reasons I drifted almost completely away from 40k in the past three or four years).  In my opinion, the creative torch has passed from the devs and artists of ten years ago to the Inquisimunda community (see The Convertorum and Iron Sleet), who are focused on the narrative and hobby aspects rather than on scale or 'epicness.'  Before my disillusionment, I had tried my hand at this more intimate approach - with enthusiasm but not much gumption.

     While poking around in some boxes I recently rediscovered my trove of 40k bitz and semi-finished I-munda models, mainly of various Imperial citizens and agents.  On a whim I decided to revive this forgotten project and build/paint a few more models.  I've tried to achieve a Blanche-esque color scheme: pale skin and lots of reds and golds, standing out against muted background colors.  The point is to be striking rather than realistic.


Imperial administrator and a mysterious gunslinger.  These were done a few years ago.  The skull might need some touching up.


Cherub


A 40k version of the medieval barber/surgeon.  I imagine he stands around on street corners offering therapeutic bleedings and the like.  




Two henchmen.


Some kind of crusader.  He's going to get a big shield on his left arm, but that will not be attached until it's painted.


     The next batch of Federals should be ready tomorrow - only the State color remains to be painted.  Stay tuned!

No comments:

Post a Comment