Ghost riders in the sky

Yeeees, I am making an update on Friday as is due, hooray for me.

I decided that today I will show you the black knights. I am proud of how these turned out, if not as happy as I might have been if I had sat to working on them properly and devoted as much time as they deserve. Well, too late to shed useless tears now, let's see the models, shall we?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I like to think my projects thoroughly before I start them. I like to think on how I want the models to look like (or more accurately, what 'feel' I want to achieve on them), then what models exactly I need to buy to achieve that feel. Then, I'm thinking how much conversion work is involved in making my idea come to life and lastly how exactly am I to be original and differentiate my works from what is fashionable/customary/often seen. Only when I have finished this planning stage do I sit to work on the minis themselves.

These black knights were no different. From the start I knew I didn't want to convert them from the imperial Knightly Orders or Bretonnian knights - let's face it, very good as they might look in some people's versions, the idea is so worn-out I definitely wanted to do something else. Secondly, I DID want my rotten cavalry to wear barding (I've even thought of giving them caparisons, but I simply couldn't find a way to make these look good, tried as I have. Besides, I didn't want my knights to look too goth). All in all, I accepted the fact I was left with no models but the GW Black Knights.

However, that didn't mean I wasn't going to pimp them up a notch, even if was only adding the croupieres and peytrals (pieces of barding covering the horses' chest and hindquarters, respectively). You can see on the pics how exactly did they turn out.

I also wanted to model my bases with some sort of a twist. I have never been very good in the base department and one of the things I'd like to achieve on the Vampire Counts project is the improvement of my bases. You have seen the wolves and their bases; on the knights I've had the idea of them riding through a cemetery. In the end it didn't work out as well as I predicted, but I think I'm making progress.

Also, the VC army is going to be fully magnetized. For those of you unfamiliar with the idea, it's essentially adding magnets to the underneath of the models' bases and making the movement trays out of metal sheets. You can see the unfinished tray on the photos.

I've used round, 3mm by 2mm rare earth magnets for the knights, two per model. The force that through the magnet sticks the mini (kudos to Dylan Thomas for inventing possibly the weirdest title for a poem ever) is astounding; I'm even thinking it is too strong... but I'd rather have it a bit too strong than a bit too weak. I could easily have gone with a single magnet if the minis were all plastic, but given the metal rider, a single magnet wasn't strong enough (tested'em).

Some eagle-eyed cherries... readers might notice the unit champion is just a tad different from what GW serves us. It's a 4th edition Skeleton Horseman with Axe model, which I am very fond of. It simply oozes character with its torn chainmail, cut breastplate and all other other nicknacks it possesses. Very creepy. The photo shows him in his pre-rebased state.

Plooschack was worried about me losing my motivation being the reason behind the update-less Friday. Rest assured Plooschack, the motivation is there, waxing and waning, but present.

A lot of people asked me about the comments publication on this site. I'll restate - all the comments you submit have to go through my approval before they are actually posted. The reason is simple - I don't want every other comment to be concerned with penis enlargement or centerfold pictures. No thanks. If the comment is written in proper English and is relevant to the matter, it will be posted, even if you write death threats or compare my work to solid body waste. Opinions are what make us human and don't let any angst deter you from posting them here.

I'm reviewing the incoming comments usually before making an update, so don't be alarmed if yours isn't handled immediately.

Also, I have another announcement to make. At least one person has posted my works on a site without my knowledge, let alone consent. He didn't plagiarize them claiming they were his own, he just posted them. While this is really fine with me, it would be nice to know about such stuff. Therefore, I've come to the realization that I need a logo to stamp my pictures with. Being a complete retard in Photoshop and even MS Paint (yes!!) it is my plea to people out there who aren't so graphics-editor-challenged: if you can come up with a nice logo for my minis, I'll love you long time. Nothing too fancy or time-consuming, if you have five minutes to spare and can be assed to create something just for the hell of it, please send your brainchildren to me and you'll have my everlasting gratitude and a honorable mention here.

Right, I hope I didn't sound too cheeky. Next week, watch your skies and your hair, the bats are swooping in. See you next Friday!