Tuesday, 10 July 2018

The saga of Lord Boddicker and that bastard tail

Another month whipped by and the cobwebs are needing to be blown off again! As always, I've been busy, mostly melting under this heat we're "enjoying", but managing to get some paint applied when it's not drying on the brush before I can use it!
Today's post was planned to be about my orks, but sitting at the painting table yesterday, I spied something at the back, looking  at me accusingly, unfinished and unloved for months...
I've always loved the old citadel chaos steeds, and have managed to collect four over the years,but I've never been overly enamoured with the knights that sit on them. They're nice and all, but I think they're not impressive enough to be on those magnificent horses,especially compared to the warriors on foot. A few years ago, I first saw Nicos magnificent chaos knights. That was the seed planted,and the hunt was on for the steeds. A while later, Whiskey over at The Leadpile converted a fantastic leader for his chaos marauder warband, which you can see here, got the seed sprouting. I actually ended up using the same marauder for my conversion, because I loved the pose of it on the horse.
So, the steed and donor model were put on the table, and then promptly ignored in favour of something else. Along came my good mate Ned with the final nail in the coffin. That was it, the model was finally happening!
So after chopping, trimming, press molding and calling the model a prick on more than one occasion, I was left with a piece that was almost there, but it needed a head. Not just any head, but a head that only a warrior of chaos could have, something impractical but dangerous(ish) looking, something to make him stand out. And yet again the project foundered as I lost my patience looking.

And then, I remembered Airbornegroves homage to Tim Prow. Of course he should have an animal head, because Chaos. An old Judge Dredd Klegg was duly hunted and decapitated before I spent a leisurely time slapping the model about with the auld hairy stick. I was quite chuffed with the results, and showed the rest of the Combat Burgers, who duly pointed out that the steeds tail looked like trouble, and so was born the back story........

The hero of the Gods held his position along with his warband in the gorge, awaiting their prey. His reptilian eyes blinked slowly as he lost himself in increasingly faint memories, Lord Clarence Boddicker, scourge of the bandits that infested the forests of Ostermark. He dimly remembered the honours heaped upon him by the small folk, and the songs sung in his praise in taverns across the province. 
He also remembered the priest that had arrived with his witch hunters, and recalled with unusual clarity the bite of his axe through the priests chest after he found the burnt carcass of his wi- " Claaaareeence, come on, let's get the bastards!!"
Lord Boddicker swung his arm backwards with a savage growl, feeling his blow connect with a crack of iron on bone. "You absolute shit! You're here to do a job you scaly prick, get on with it!!"
Not for the first time, Lord Boddicker closed his eyes and expelled a long low breath, trying to calm himself. His career in service of the gods had been a steady rise until he'd killed that sorcerer. He'd snapped the tzeentch creatures spine like a twig, and left his faithful steed, grown massive on a diet of meat and blood to feed on the carcass. He'd awoken the next morning to find a thick, plated tail sprouting from its rump, a dripping maw at the end screaming obscenities at him. He'd crushed it almost immediately  but it grew back within hours, and had done in the uncountable times he'd done it since. He'd even killed the horse once, although it galled him to do so, but he was driven to it by that damned tail shrieking with laughter at the reptilian horror his head had become. He'd torn the horses throat out in one massive bite, but the next morning he was woken by that bastard mouth shrieking at him again.
" snap out of it you bastard, they're nearly here, and I'm huuuunnngryyyyy!"
God's damn that creature, he'd been distracted to the point that he'd almost missed his chance! He directed his warband with short curt gestures, as impressive as his crocodilian head was in battle, it made normal speech nearly impossible. They moved quietly into position as the patrol got closer, and Boddicker unstrapped his shield, ready to sow carnage amongs- "CHAAAAAARGE!!! KILL THEM AAAAALLL"
Boddicker roared in frustration as that accursed mouth ruined yet another ambush. Nothing for it now but to reap a harvest and count the cost in the aftermath. He was going to kill that fucking tail once this was done. Again.

Thanks for reading that wall of text folks, see you at some other time with some other project! 

13 comments:

  1. Hooray Awesome Job. He looks the bollox as our gallic friend almost said. I'm quite chuffed that my boy was one of the inspirations. Next one please! And keep up the blogging!

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    1. I'm doing my best buddy, it's just finding the time to sit down and do it, I usually end up painting instead. I have filled up the camera with some shots of different bits today though, so that should make it easier to get shit done

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  2. Omg Rochie you’ve taken that suggestion and ran with it. Perfect fluff for an outstanding character. Thanks for the shout out as well.

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    1. No worries buddy, it's only fair that you get some of the credit really. And I couldn't not run with it, I was pissing myself laughing during the Burgers chat at the examples of dialogue flying around the place

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  3. Your write up of the conversion is a treat. Such a bastard liability!

    I really like the jaggy edge highlighting you've done on the armour. Gives him such time depth.

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    1. Cheers Curis! I have to square with you, the armour was a necessity more than anything else, I can't seem to get vallejo silver to look good on anything but sharp edge highlights..

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  4. Your conversion, painting and back story would have been worthy of being included in RoC....no shit!

    Love your weathering skills Rochie, it really suits the filthy fucker perfectly. His story made me giggle too :) They don't all have to be so grim do they, dark humour is way cooler IMHO.

    You might wanna add a couple of highlights with fluro green though :P

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    1. Any tutorials on how to make some? 😉 And yeah, you're 100% correct on the humour aspect, just because you worship a dark god doesn't mean it's all misery and "grimdaaaark" *mblech*

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  5. True to the spirit of Chaos! I like both the conversion and the story.

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    1. Thanks mate! I can't say it was an easy process but I'm happy with the results

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  6. Worth the wait Rochie. You brought all those parts together into a greater whole. Hmm, phrasing.

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    1. Greater whole? Sounds positively slaaneshi! 😉

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