Scions of Gorechild- The Engines of Bloodshed

Hey there everybody! Old Man Chaos is back with yet another startling, insane, and shocking edition of Chaos Corner. What's that you say? It's hyperbole? Exaggeration? Overwrought and melodramatic? Ha!! No I say- this will be the greatest edition of Chaos Corner ever!! (*results may vary. Not a licensed spokesperson. The views expressed here are the opinions of one person and do not reflect the editors or owners of Chaos Corner. Ex post facto). Anyways, I've got some oldies and some newbies, presented herein for the first time. So now, without further ado... making their Internet debut... The Engines of Blood!

You have seen two of these bad-boys before, but now they are joined by the third (and I suspect final, at least for the Scions of Gorechild) daemon engine. This one looks a bit different I grant you, but I shall explain his origins in due time below.

First, let me say that Maulerfiends are very strong daemon engines. They can take apart most tanks with ease (unless you have a bad roll or two- it happens). They move incredibly fast and can get into the enemy quickly. They fare less well against elite units like Terminators. Complicating things is their lower WS and I- which kinda sucks (I guess they loose it in exchange for their speed. However, looking at a Murderfang in a drop pod it kinda sucks when he gets that many attacks).

At any rate, these puppies are good at tearing through armor and generally terrorizing the enemy. One Maulerfiend is just not enough though. If you take only one, the enemy will focus all fire on that and it WILL die. Now, perhaps that's what you want (firing at the Maulerfiend takes the heat off your other units), but if you want the Maulerfiend to do damage, you may need to take two. Or three. This makes them more survivable (most armies CAN'T take out all 3 at once, even my friend who has taken 3 or 4 Devastator Squads in Inquisitorial Chimeras with Meltas can't take out all 3). Now, opposing a regular army, the Maulerfiends can go after tanks with impunity once they make it to the enemy lines.

So- I thought we could look at all three together, and one at a time too. One is basic with no real conversions. The other two, of course, are heavily converted- its Chaos and I can't resist conversion, you guys know that by now.

So, here is Bonebreaker. This was my first Maulerfiend, purchased when they first came out in the fall of 2012. The one thing that I don't like about the kit is that it really isn't posable at all. If you are building the Maulerfiend, it only goes together in one pose. But, since this was my first, I didn't try anything fancy- I just wanted to see how well it would all go together. The one change I did was I used the Ectoplasma head instead of the "Rhinoceros" looking one, which I just didn't care for. I like the teeth and open maw, as if it is going to bite your head off. I also added the Khornate symbol in the middle of the 8-sided Chaos symbol on his top carapace.

The second Maulerfiend, The Skull Hunter, was completed in Sept/Oct 2013 (I build him while playing GTA IV- I was up well past midnight to work on him). I went a bit crazier on this one than I did on the first one. First, I put a rider on the neck. The rider was a Khorne Bezerker with a head and arm from the Forsaken fantasy box. I wanted him to look a bit feral and warp-tainted but not go overboard. I used chains from the Dark Eldar to make it look like the Maulerfiend's harness.

I again used the Ectoplasma head. I also included a couple of dead Imperial Guardsmen. One is being eaten, the other has been crushed underfoot. The Bezerker-rider is looking not at the carnage but rather toward the horizon, as if already looking for the next target while the Maulerfiend plays with his food.

And now, for my newest addition, thus making it a trilogy of terror, as it were. My final 'Fiend, The Warbringer. Now, you're saying "this guy has guns, therefore he's a Forgefiend". Perhaps, but this is what I was thinking- would Khorne have a Forgefiend? Should I use one- they aren't AS good as the Maulerfiends (if they cost as much as the Maulerfiend I'd be happier- they are over-costed).

But, what if I wanted to use one? But what if I wanted a third Maulerfiend (how many of these damn things can I buy?)? So, I decided to make a Maulerfiend, but with guns. Thus, he has the "Khornate" appearance of charging the enemy, but he has two cannons. I used the arm rigging joints and simply put them on the legs. So, I have a charging Forgefiend.

As a total chaotic contrarian, I went with the "Rhinoceros" head with this one. I'm not thrilled with the head, but I added the alternate Khorne helm/symbol from the Lord of Skulls, giving the head a larger and more fearsome aspect. So, in my friendly games, I can use him as either/or, and people are fine with that as long as I explain which one he is beforehand. Tournaments may not be so kind to my conversion, but that's OK. Not too worried about that.

So, the three of them together make The Engines of Blood. Three daemon engines that wreck havoc on the battlefields, slaying all in the name of Khorne. The Scions of Gorechild do have a Warpsmith in their ranks, and they have made deals for other engines in the past with other Warpsmiths- Lord Korlath will gladly lend his forces to another warlord in order to gain resources or weapons, or, in this case, the aid of Warpsmiths. For Korlath and the Scions, its win/win- they get to spill blood and make material gains, which will allow them to spill more blood. They never get a bad deal, unless the warlord betrays them- but that only gives Korlath an excuse to spill even more blood then take what he was promised anyway.

As for the Engines of Blood, they are fearsome on the battlefield, filling the enemy ranks with terror as they roar and then cross the battlefield with such incredible speed and ferocity. Even Space Marines dread the appearance of the Engines of Blood. They are the battering ram, the vanguard of the Scions of Gorechild- the opponents that they don't scare away they smash aside, ruining the enemy battleline and allowing the Scions to attack unhindered.

I am pleased with their cohesive appearance; they look similar but also distinct- exactly the look I wanted. Seeing all three on the battlefield is quite a sight, I must say.

Well, that's all for this posting. I have something even more blasphemous for the next one... Until next time!

For Your Consideration: Forgefiend of Nurgle

Hey there everybody! Old Man Chaos back with another posting. This is what I originally was going to post earlier this week, but then the GW Financials were out and I felt compelled to add my rather worthless 2 cents on the topic. What started as a short diatribe became a long rant, so I shelved this part, which showcases my new Forgefiend of Nurgle. So, away we go...

I really like the concept of the Forgefiend/Maulerfiend. The model is very cool, though I wish the thing was a bit more poseable. At any rate, I have 2 Maulerfiends and 1 Forgefiend for my Khorne Bezerkers (which I have hunched down, thus it can be a Maulerfiend in friendly games if I wish).

Naturally, I realized that my Plague Marines have been neglected in the 'Fiend department. My wife helped me to rectify that by getting me a new 'Fiend (thanks honey). So, my first consideration was which would I do it as? I decided that my Plague Marines, usually holding their positions and hanging tough would be to give them a bit more firepower- thus a Nurgle Forgefiend was born.

Then, of course, I had to consider how I would "Nurgle-fy" it. That is, how would I convert it in order for it to be within my usually disgusting Nurgle parameters. At first I thought I'd do guts and the like- my typical number. However, as I was sifting through my bits- I discovered that I still had plenty of parts from my Heldrake/Zombie dragon that I did a few months ago (and I'm still working on the second of that ugly combo FYI).

So, what caught my eye? The rotting, almost rat-like head that is the alternate head for the zombie dragon. I also had a rotting neck for it left over as well. As I sized it up, I knew it would fit perfectly for the upright Forgefiend. Well, that was easy. But it was missing something. Then it hit me- I have to make this thing look more rat like. No, I wasn't going to buy Skaven stuff. Instead, I took one of the Lasher Tendrils and basically stuffed it up the Forgefiend's tailpipe and... instant mechanical rat tail.

Granted, most of my Nurgle stuff is either insect, zombie/decayed, and mold/sores. I have done more than my fair share of green-stuff guts and the like. I have never done a "rat-like" Nurgle piece. However, it makes sense, as rats certainly carry diseases- thus I think Father Nurgle would approve of my creation. (Besides, when I do another one later I can do the guts and all that ;-)

I wasn't quite done with the conversions (slight and simple though they are). I took the tripartite Nurgle symbol and put it dead center on the thing's main carapace. The other conversion I did was with the ectoplasma cannons. I took spawn tentacles and made them look like tongues- thus all three "heads" had tongues. The ectoplasma cannons were now heads, not weapons. Then I noticed that the 3 heads again were part of the Nurgle motif- yes, Father Nurgle approved greatly. Lastly, I added some green stuff at the arm/weapon joints- making look as if the thing were part metal, part mold, part decayed flesh. It would tie it more completely into my army.

Now for the painting. I did Death World Forrest as the basecoat. The legs I did with Leadbelcher. Then I washed very liberally with Earthshade (such a ubiquitous wash I must say). I then set to work on the armor ridges, trim, weapons, and the tail- I used the aforementioned Leadbelcher, followed by Typhus Corruption, and then Ryza Rust to make it look nice and rusty. 

The growths I then highlighted with Nurgling Green, then I washed it down with Earthshade, with a lighter edge highlighting of Nurgling Green. I did the same with the flesh portions of the head and neck.

The bones and teeth I did with a Desert basecoat and then moved up with Ubshanti Bone and Screaming Skull with drybrushes of Tyrant Skull. The tongues actually challenged me a bit. They couldn't just be straight red, but what colors would work on all 3 heads. I started with Screamer Pink, then went lighter. Then I did a wash of Druichii Violet and some Earthsahde again. Presto! The tongues are distinct, but also look rotten and sickly. The toughest decision for me turned out very well.

Naturally, I had to add some blood and slime to the proceedings. Of course, you have to be careful not to use too much, lest it drowns out the rest of your paint scheme (I am always tempted to put on more and have to pull myself away). I used the GW slime and blood technical paints, but I also used the Tamiya Clear Red- so some blood looks fresh while some of it is old and coagulated.

All told, I am happy with how this guy turned out. He is clearly an invention of Papa Nurgle, and my Plague Marines will be pleased to have him I think. At some point I will do another for Nurgle (Forge or Mauler I'm not sure). But first, I have to finish my second Nurgle Heldrake (one of my craziest conversion jobs yet, I must say). However, I have been distracted by something VERY Heretical. The Emperor would not be happy, let's put it that way. I think they'll be done by next week...

Until next time, stay heretical my friends.

"I Love The Drake" / "I Hate The Drake"

Hey there Chaos fanatics! I've been slowly but surely recuperating from my surgery and hospital stay and all that. I have been painting a bit, reading a bit, surfing the web, etc. I realize that I haven't done a posting in a bit, so here I am, back to the grindstone.

It has been a time of change for us Games Workshop and 40K players people, huh? But, is it a case of "the more things change, the more they stay the same" perhaps? Hehe! It depends on which message boards you read of course. Some say that the changes to the rules, WD, and the upcoming Chaos Codex are all fantastic- the rapture is here! Others fear that these changes are the doom of GW- that the Chaos gods are about to destroy everything we hold dear. I suspect, as with most things, the truth lies somewhere in between. I'll give you my 2 cents, which, in this economy, ain't worth 2 cents, but you get what I mean...

Let's talk 6th for a moment. Since I have been ill, I did not get in nearly as many games as I had intended on, though I did play a few. I love the book- the art, the format, etc. I think the rules are also fairly strong, and that there's going to be a lot of things that come to the fore as I play more. I love some of the randomness- random objective effects, random charge lengths (crazy- but I like how it reflects the chaos of the battlefield). I'm not sure yet if Overwatch completely ruins getting into CC, as I'll need more games to determine this. Overall, I think 6th is a strong book, certainly more complex than the previous few editions, which is a plus. I just need to play a few more games to get the rest of the intricacies (I haven't played with flyers or flying Daemon Princes yet, for example).

Now, how about that White Dwarf...? I like most of the changes here. The overall layout was really good. The inclusion of a hobbying section (I love that huge base), and a painting section harking back to ye olde WD. The battle report was much more sharply written, getting right down to the game play. Yes, the book is still a huge advertisement (natch) but it is moving in a much better direction.  Now, all they have to do is have a few fluff pieces in there, and it will be like the old days. However, they MUST ditch the red backgrounds for the pix- it just clashes way to damn much, and I am convinced it made the models look worse.







Speaking of... what about the new Chaos stuff. First, I am sure that the Codex will be up to snuff, based on the pages that have been seen online, Phil Kelly does good work, and we have nowhere to go but up from the past edition. I like the look of the book (hardcover and color), though that cover makes me laugh- Blood Gorgons was an 'OK' book, but now I'll always think of it when I look at the Codex (its nice art, but couldn't we pick from a better book- say First Heretic or something). I can't wait to play with cultists/zombies in a non-Apoc match, that's all I can say. I have already reserved the book at my local store.

As for the models- well, here's where it gets dicey. First, the red backgrounds did no favors for these models. Look at the 360 online or the battle report pics to get a better idea of these models. They are in no way the "abomination" that some have suggested. On the contrary, I think the Heldrake is a very good- check out the Black Legion paint job to see how cool it is. The Maluer/Forge Fiend is a bit unusual, but a good paint scheme and a bit of conversion will make that model into a solid entry. The Warpsmith is a great model, as is the Dark Apostle (amazing sculpt). The Sorcerer hearkens back to the old metal sorcerers (retro, but more detailed). I love the Warp Talons (Yes! Plastic Raptors at last). However, the Mutalators are just plain ugly- yes, I know they look like the Oblits, but- damn they suck. I sense another "Save Money The Chaos Way" in the future when I do those...

Herein lies the rub. I hate to say it, but most of the new models aren't really "Nurgl-y".  Let's take the Heldrake, for instance. It just doesn't scream "Death Guard" to me. Now, you paint that up in Black Legion or World Eaters (imagine a Red and Bronze dragon- holy shit), it its great. Paint it up in a darker Night Lords scheme (the one in the WD is too bright), good. But... Nurgle... meh. I don't know. It just doesn't scream that to me. It did inspire me to finish my Forgeworld fighter though... Yep, I had it for a while but never finished it. Now, it is done, and I intend to use the Heldrake rules (the 'drake wings are based on this model- look closely).

With some conversion, the Mauler/Forge Fiend will find a home in my Plaguemarine force, no doubt. But again, the aesthetic looks better for some of the other legions. I WILL buy a Dark Apostle, but again, he doesn't look to be easily Nugle-fied. As for the Warpsmith, I can paint him to be all rusty, and he'll fit in, though I still am under the old illusion that nurglings run the inside of tanks, thus the Death Guard would not need a Warpsmith. That's just old fluff though. As for the sorcerer, I already have my one from Forgeworld, whom I also recently finished (and I'm pleased with my work, considering I'm still not at my best).

I am excited for Chaos, and I can't wait to field my Plague Marines alongside my old plague zombies again. I also want to use the allies rules to bring Nurgle daemons with me again. I have the new plastic Plague Bearers, and have been slowly working on them. Those are great models, by the way. Even if you have some of the old metals, these new plastics are very detailed, and will fit in nicely with the old ones.

I am looking forward to playing with the new rules and the new codex. Its just a few days away now. I know that some people are cynical, but I am hopeful. It won't ever match what we have in our heads, as I think that Chaos players tend to love their fluff/characters/army look more than liking to win. Now, that is not an insult to anyone, I just know that many Chaos players are passionate, and would rather have a codex that allows for fluffy lists than anything else. They are committed to Chaos itself- if they can field daemons and cultists and all that but still face a tough time on the battlefield, most Chaos players would take it. Win or lose, they just want to be Chaos fanatics. Why do you think I haven't gone and played the all-powerful Grey Knights? Or ran my Nurgle force with Spacewolf rules? No. Way. I am a Chaos player (and let's face it- I play Dark Eldar too. Dark Eldar are pretty evil, and no one would say I care about only winning if I have played DE since their earliest incarnation. Ouch- talk about punishment). But now, with the new Codex and the 6th allies rule, I can take my Nurgle Daemons and zombies. Iron Warriors can bring in their Basilisks. Word Bearers and Alpha Legion can bring in their Cultists. I know they'll be more goodies in the Codex; even if not every old time fluff idea CAN be done, it is nice to see that most of it is restored. Reason to be hopeful. Then, Chaos can destroy those hopes by tearing down the false throne and desecrate the weakling Emperor and... ahem. You know what I mean.

Until next time, my friends.