Takerukau
02-28-2014, 01:13 AM
Hello Everyone,
I appreciate any and all time you guys spend humoring me as I set up this project log. In a hobby such as ours it is easy to find talented individuals who absolutely eclipse me in skill, creativity, and talent, however since this is one of the more ambitious projects I have undertaken I felt that a small journal would be fun to keep to commemorate what I hope will be the start of several special projects over the coming years. Before I get into the model itself, I wanted to give a bit of a story behind the reason that I selected this particular character. I do this giving all credit due to the various sources of inspiration I have used to create this model, which can be attributed to every artist, author, and fellow hobbyist that has taken a swing at creating a Mephiston model for their or anyone else's collection. If there is a picture of Mephiston on the internet, then I have likely looked at it (whether photo, art, or model) in the months leading up to my first application of hobby knife to the project, so I thank anyone who reads this and says "That looks like mine!" Please take it as the most sincere compliment that I can give.
When I was barely a teenager after playing my first game of 40k using a space marine army belonging to a family friend, my Dad took me to the store to pick out my first Codex and a leader for my soon-to-be army. Since my youth I had been undeniably obsessed with the various applications of the color red, and since Space Marines had been so fun to play I decided to start my first army as the Blood Angels. My first day in that store my Dad handed me some blister packs, and told me to choose a hero. After much deliberation (there were so many to choose from...) I decided to buy Mephiston, the Lord of Death. With the models from my 3rd edition boxed set I began my hobby journey; with a metal Mephiston model at the helm. I sat in my Dad's basement and spent a lot of time trying to learn the skills I needed to build my force, and Mephiston was one of those first adventures into the hobby that I undertook.
Over the years my collection has changed and grown, and so has my skill as a painter and hobbyist. That metal Mephiston model went through probably 4 or 5 clumsy paintjobs from my eager, impatient hands in those years, but after scraping and using it for so long a period, age began to show and detail began to fade away, leaving the model completely overshadowed by some of the newer models in my collection. Through that time, Mephiston has always been my favorite model, my favorite character in 40k, and a reminder of the times I spent with my Dad when starting out. So, when I decided I wanted to stretch my legs for the first time, it was easy to decide that I needed to come back to Mephiston as the launch model for the next level of my hobby adventures.
Unfortunately due to the level of use (and use, and use, and use...) I had to get a new model (finecast, sadly) in order to accomplish the standard of detail and quality I wanted to achieve with the project. The new finecast model that I got, while keeping much of the important parts of the model (the face, torso, and hood/robe trim) in good shape, had many pits, holes, and scars through parts of the cloak and the plasma pistol. Also, portions of his foot were missing, his backpack was missing, and the sword was warped just enough to where I couldn't use it. Luckily enough I was able to cannabalize some of the portions of the older, metal model to this new one, which was a good way to "pass the flag" to the new generation. While not without flaws of their own, they added enough sentimentality and functionality that moving them between the models became an obvious and pleasing choice.
That being said (and I've said probably more than you wanted to read anyways), I dedicate this project to my Dad, who helped me get started on this wonderful hobby that I pay way too much money to justify, but get too much satisfaction out of to deny.
This project includes bits from:
- Mephiston metal kit (sword, backpack)
- Mephiston Finecast kit (Torso)
- Space Marine Tactical Squad Kit (Banner/pole)
- Pegasus Wings (GW WFB Blister pack)
I used citadel paints to paint the kit (with, of course, plenty of Mephiston Red :) )
At the time of this posting, I have probably spent about 15 hours physically working on this project (and various infinities agonizing over the execution).
Now that I've bored you all to death, here are some photos of my progress so far. I'll start with the old model, and work from there. I hope you enjoy!
7595
I appreciate any and all time you guys spend humoring me as I set up this project log. In a hobby such as ours it is easy to find talented individuals who absolutely eclipse me in skill, creativity, and talent, however since this is one of the more ambitious projects I have undertaken I felt that a small journal would be fun to keep to commemorate what I hope will be the start of several special projects over the coming years. Before I get into the model itself, I wanted to give a bit of a story behind the reason that I selected this particular character. I do this giving all credit due to the various sources of inspiration I have used to create this model, which can be attributed to every artist, author, and fellow hobbyist that has taken a swing at creating a Mephiston model for their or anyone else's collection. If there is a picture of Mephiston on the internet, then I have likely looked at it (whether photo, art, or model) in the months leading up to my first application of hobby knife to the project, so I thank anyone who reads this and says "That looks like mine!" Please take it as the most sincere compliment that I can give.
When I was barely a teenager after playing my first game of 40k using a space marine army belonging to a family friend, my Dad took me to the store to pick out my first Codex and a leader for my soon-to-be army. Since my youth I had been undeniably obsessed with the various applications of the color red, and since Space Marines had been so fun to play I decided to start my first army as the Blood Angels. My first day in that store my Dad handed me some blister packs, and told me to choose a hero. After much deliberation (there were so many to choose from...) I decided to buy Mephiston, the Lord of Death. With the models from my 3rd edition boxed set I began my hobby journey; with a metal Mephiston model at the helm. I sat in my Dad's basement and spent a lot of time trying to learn the skills I needed to build my force, and Mephiston was one of those first adventures into the hobby that I undertook.
Over the years my collection has changed and grown, and so has my skill as a painter and hobbyist. That metal Mephiston model went through probably 4 or 5 clumsy paintjobs from my eager, impatient hands in those years, but after scraping and using it for so long a period, age began to show and detail began to fade away, leaving the model completely overshadowed by some of the newer models in my collection. Through that time, Mephiston has always been my favorite model, my favorite character in 40k, and a reminder of the times I spent with my Dad when starting out. So, when I decided I wanted to stretch my legs for the first time, it was easy to decide that I needed to come back to Mephiston as the launch model for the next level of my hobby adventures.
Unfortunately due to the level of use (and use, and use, and use...) I had to get a new model (finecast, sadly) in order to accomplish the standard of detail and quality I wanted to achieve with the project. The new finecast model that I got, while keeping much of the important parts of the model (the face, torso, and hood/robe trim) in good shape, had many pits, holes, and scars through parts of the cloak and the plasma pistol. Also, portions of his foot were missing, his backpack was missing, and the sword was warped just enough to where I couldn't use it. Luckily enough I was able to cannabalize some of the portions of the older, metal model to this new one, which was a good way to "pass the flag" to the new generation. While not without flaws of their own, they added enough sentimentality and functionality that moving them between the models became an obvious and pleasing choice.
That being said (and I've said probably more than you wanted to read anyways), I dedicate this project to my Dad, who helped me get started on this wonderful hobby that I pay way too much money to justify, but get too much satisfaction out of to deny.
This project includes bits from:
- Mephiston metal kit (sword, backpack)
- Mephiston Finecast kit (Torso)
- Space Marine Tactical Squad Kit (Banner/pole)
- Pegasus Wings (GW WFB Blister pack)
I used citadel paints to paint the kit (with, of course, plenty of Mephiston Red :) )
At the time of this posting, I have probably spent about 15 hours physically working on this project (and various infinities agonizing over the execution).
Now that I've bored you all to death, here are some photos of my progress so far. I'll start with the old model, and work from there. I hope you enjoy!
7595