Newly Completed: Hekatrix Bloodbrides

Hey there Chaos fiends! I hope you're all doing well. Have you been keeping up with all of those Chaos rumors? Hahaha! I don't quite know what to believe, and honestly that's just fine. I like seeing all the rampant speculation- it's a bit of fun. I do wish that everyone would just take a deep breath though- look I get it, since Chaos (and Plague Marines in particular) is my favorite 40K army, I want the book to be just right. But I see lots of people getting upset and they shouldn't be, as none of it is confirmed AND we are aren't getting a full picture at any rate. I also would like to see the trolls take a hike- if you hate 40K, why are you commenting at all? If you loathe 40K and GW and all- why bother even taking the time? Find something else to do and leave those who do enjoy it to their own devices. I used to watch WWF, but I don't anymore... I don't go onto their sites and trash people who still watch or root for a particular wrestler... Trolls make no sense to me...

Well, that's enough of the rant. Now on to business. I just finished my 10 woman Hekartix Bloodbride squad. I have just recently completed my Kabalite Trubeorn, so I decided to turn my attentions to the elite Wyches now. One of the toughest things about making these lovely ladies is just how to make them...  With the Trueborn it was a bit easier- they all had heavy weapons, and they don't have helms. I also gave their Dracon a banner that was painted white instead of red, to denote their difference. I didn't want them to be too different from Kabalite Warriors, just in case  I decided to field bigger squads with more heavy weapons than I currently have now.

The Wyches posed a more complicated challenge. They need to look like Wyches, but since they are the "Bloodbrides", they need to look suitably different- I wasn't planning on blending them into a bigger squad potentially. So, I would need to really make them look unique, yet still be Wyches. Thus, I gave them all kinds of vicious weapons- they've got the Razorflails, but I also gave them the Hellglaives from the Hellions- no, its not "tournament legal"- I just wanted them to look dangerous. I gave some skull trophies dangling off their armor and weapons. Finally, I gave them all helms from the Jetbikers- their dangerous beauty would be hidden behind masks. I thought there was something cool about taking these beautiful killers and making them faceless...

In painting, I painted their armor plates the same as the Wyches- Khonre Red. Their skin I painted with Rakarth Flesh base, a violet wash, and then successive highlights of Pallid Wych Flesh (again, a great color). Their loincloths of flayed flesh I did with Bugman's Glow, red washes, and then Caidian Fleshtone highlights. The weapons I did with Warplock Bronze, Leadbelcher, and some Runelord Brass, Brass Scorpion, and Gehnna's Gold. I must say I've been impressed with these metal paints- the gold and brasses in particular- they have great coverage and they are all sharp looking. I love how they made the Hellglaves look, in particular.

Now, as for the helms. I thought about doing them silver, or perhaps red. I tried it on one, and I wasn't thrilled. It looked too bland. So, I decided to go and do something a bit different. I painted a base of Ceramite White. On those helms that had eye-slits, I did a wash of Carroburg Crimson to make it red. Then, I painted the whole helm Ulthuan Grey. Over the white, it appears as a really, really light grey. I then hit it with gloss varnish. The result is that it looks like an opaque helm- my brother compared the look to Mysterio... Haha. The idea is that they are ghostly white, mostly obscuring the Bloodbride's face within.

Overall, I am pleased with how they came out. The helms really set them apart from the rank and file Wyches, making them look fearsome in their anonymous masks. The dynamic poses of those weapons give the Bloodbrides a sense of fast and dangerous movement. I think they'll make a great looking retinue for my Succubus or perhaps Lelith herself.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this look at my latest Dark Eldar creations. Until next time, my friends...