Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Outgard: A Vermilion Revenant

A Vermilion Wanderer 
Not to rust in murky depths
A lone spark long forgotten
Rejecting  a tomb of a thousand lakes
A revenant stalks the moors
From Blighted Isles to jagged peaks
A spirit wills It. 



With the Outgard event occurring last weekend, we thought it would be a good time to show the single model we built for the event. The Outgard setting really sparked our imaginations because it delved into aspects of the 40k universe which are most certainly there, but are seldom explored: the undead, and feudalistic societies where technological marvels are reduced to being used as instruments to bludgeon people.  While many of the models shown for the project have focused on the masses populating Outgard, ignorant of the technology they repurpose, we wanted to explore some of the technology that may have been the underpinning of the planet in the long-forgotten past.

We found inspiration from the 1977 animated film, Wizards.  One of the primary characters in the film is a robot named Necron 99, who adorns an iconic poster for the movie (GW likely got the name for the Necrons from Necron 99):

Even before finally seeing Wizards, I was always struck by the imagery on the movie poster.

While Wizards is a pretty bad movie, Necron 99 always appealed to us due to his red attire and menacing eyes.  Remembering Necron 99, we thought: Why not create an ancient sentient robot for Outgard? It could even potentially be a Necron, one who tries to hide its inhuman form by dressing in red and wrapping its face in cloth!?

A lot of green stuff was used to make the model stand out from the base parts used in the conversion.

The conversion used pieces from a host of disparate models. The body is from a Skitarii ranger, with the troso removed and replaced with the power coil of a Necron warrior’s rifle. Its head was also built from a Skitarii ranger, keeping the goggles, but replacing the bottom portion with a Necron warrior’s head. The legs are based primarily on those from the new plastic Death Jester, with boots from an Elysian drop trooper. An extensive amount of green stuff was used to make the conversion more convincing, including extending and tattering his coat, and wrapping its face in cloth.

Despite a relatively limited color palete, the different shades of red make the model more interesting to look at.

The base was done using GW's Texture paint Martian Ironearth, before painting over it grey.


When painting the model, the there was no question about what color scheme would be used. Red, red, red! For the piercing yellow eyes, I used Vallejo’s fluorescent yellow. It was my first time using a fluorescent paint and now that I know it handles just like any other acrylic paint, I will probably think of using other fluorescent paints in the future. Additionally this model was the first that I experimented with object-sourcing lighting. Overall, I am quite pleased with the effect.

This was the first model that I used Vallejo fluorescent paint, and I was quite impressed with it.

Although not officially part of the Outgard project, we wanted to make this model in tribute to all of the talented people involved in it, thanking them for all of the inspirational models they have shown over the last few months!  Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of the post office, the model did not arrive in time to be a part of any of the Outgard games.  Despite this, we figured people might be interested in seeing pictures; we hope you like him!


- Adam Wier

21 comments:

  1. What a cracking conversion Adam - absolutely brilliant. struggled to identify some of the parts used, which is testament to how well they fit together and have been blended with the greenstuff work - really well done. The paint job on top of it really finishes it off.

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    1. Thank you for the kind words! When converting the model I wanted to have enough hints that the character could be a Necron but also just a random robot. There are a pretty diverse array of components in the model, particularly in his rifle. :)

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  2. Great conversion, and paint. Really nice mix of parts.

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    1. I am glad you like the model! I experimented around a lot with the model's legs to get them to look right (I even had some where he was standing rather than kneeling).

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  3. Awesomeness! Really dig how that turned out - great work from concept to execution as always!

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    1. Thank you! The model itself was actually one of my fastest that I have done in a while. It only took me around 2 weeks to go from my initial idea to the completed model (about a week to build and a week to paint).

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  4. I've not heard of Wizards before, guess I need to give that a go now. Its a shame he did not arrive in time for the game. The bits used are extremely original to say the least! Well done as always.

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    1. You should try and give Wizards a watch. It is worth it just for Necron 99 alone. I remember liking the ending of the film too. :)

      So long as the model eventually makes it to its destination I will be happy. Who knows, maybe there will be future Outgard events! It would be a shame not to do more with such an evocative setting.

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  5. Nice. Lots of character in this one.

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    1. Thanks for the comment! There were a lot of elements in the original designs for Necron 99 for me to play off of in the conversion and paint job.

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  6. Wow, that's a great homage figure, as it makes very clear the homage, and stands on its own.

    The only criticism I can think of is that the "casket" on his chest is a bit bare. Might have been a good place for an icon, or keyhole or something.

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    1. I am glad you think the model stands on its own while retaining enough of the original character to make the reference recognizable. I spent a long time figuring out how to believably capture some of the iconic elements of Necron 99 in the model.

      I deliberately made the little 'casket' on his chest barren and scarred. The shape alone suggests he originates from the Necrontyr. I thought adding any symbols would make the connection too obvious and limit the possible backgrounds that people imagine for the model. Thinking about it now, I guess I should have just come up with my own symbol to but there....

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    2. If you want to make it more open ended as to his origin, why not come back to the figure and paint some scratches on the casket to make it look as if he had cut away the symbol?

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    3. Yeah, that is a good idea. If I still had the model I would go back and add some more scuffs and scratches. But alas the model is somewhere in Finland...

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  7. Enjoyed reading a greater exposition on this model beyond instagram. Again as on that platform, class work and great modelling.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words about the model! It was fun working a little outside of of my comfort range with the model. :)

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  8. I love retro stuff and this piece is really straddling that find balance between the old and new look and feel. If I could make one complaint - why not go for the bird steed as well :D

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    1. The choice to not include his mount was done largely due to time constraints. I only had two weeks to finish the model. Maybe sometime in the future I can make another version of him with the bird as well. :)

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  9. I love the robot! He still hasn't arrived here but that's warp travel. You never know how it will go.

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    1. Hopefully the model arrives soon! I will feel a lot better when you finally have it.

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  10. Excellent! The glow of the eyes is spot on. He had a real nomadic feel.

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