The Dragonfather's servents - Building Cryx

[Matt Thomas]

So... I have decided on a faction for our group build. I will be putting together a Cryx list.
I have settled on Lich Lord Terminus as a warcaster. While I like the look of all the other Cryx casters I wanted something that would be a total change in play style. I started off playing with Ashlynn, and have recently been playing with Fiona the Black. Both are very high defense casters with lower armor that like to stay a ways back from the battle and direct their troops and jacks to do the heavy lifting (though both are capable of closer combat).
So I decided to go for a caster that would get right up into the battle for a change. Several Cryx casters are capable of this but it is exemplified by Terminus who's size makes it impossible for him to hide. In addition it's an awesome model that I have wanted to field for some time.

Terminus of course desperately 'wants' to be paired with the Death Jack. Not only does this make for close to the maximum weight you can put down in two models, Terminus can make the death jack hit 4 times at P&S 20 with two additional head but attacks, before any focus.

I played with the idea of creating a classic 350pt Warcaster and personal jacks list but it didn't seem to be the way to go when you consider that we will be increasing to 500pts soon and their is no official build restriction.

I also wanted to start with something else to get my painting skills a bit more honed before going after the Death Jack. Therefore I decided to try out the Seether. I don't know if I will like it on the table because of the difficulty controlling it, so this gives me a chance to try it out before getting into the higher point values.
On the down side it means I can't really fit another jack onto the list so my only jack will be nigh uncontrollable.

Bane knights will of course be making an appearance at some point in my list so I figured why not get a unit started. So in they go, along with a skarlock thrall (another obvious pick).

So the 350 List is...

Lich Lord Terminus
   - Seether Helljack
   - Skarlock Thrall
Bane Knights (9)

I don't know how well this list will work out. I am especially worried about the limited range for controlling the Seether (9 inches) but Terminus will be right up front anyway. If it becomes a problem I will switch it out when we move to 500pts.

Coming Soon... The Seether being assembled.

[Ian Mulligan]

That's a tough list. Redeemer missiles and Zealot bombs don't do squat to those knights. I miss my Widowmakers already!

[Chase]

It's going to be fun watching you guys play with the new armies.  I havent seen Warmachine v Warmachine in a long time.

[Matt Thomas]

It's going to be fun watching you guys play...

It will be more fun if you join in. 350 points is just a starter box. Pick a faction and join the fun!

Your only way out is spending time on that teaching cert.

[Matt Thomas]

That's a tough list. Redeemer missiles and Zealot bombs don't do squat to those knights. I miss my Widowmakers already!

Could have been worse. Death Jack would just see them as tasty souls 

[Ian Mulligan]

Oh, I have a plan now.

Firestarter spam. Bane Knights won't look so scary when they're running around on FIRE.

[Matt Thomas]

Can give them tough.

Course I will fail all the rolls

[Matt Thomas]

Last night I worked on my army some.

The Seether is coming along, I got many of the spikes on and joined the legs and torso and filled the resulting gap (pictures coming I swear).

I also broke out Terminus to take a look at how hard that will be... oh man massive top heavy model (worst in the game?) with hardly any area to pin many of the heavy parts, and lots of filing to do before things fit properly.

I took a look at the bane knights, they shouldn't bee too hard. Just fixing the halberds and deciding what gets glued before and what after painting.

The scarlock thrall made it onto the base and looks strait forward, except the painting.

[Matt Thomas]

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to get my modeling pictures up on my web space yet so no pictures yet.

I did work a bit on Terminus last night. I got the torso and legs pinned together which is a key connection on that model. I had to use a hardened drill bit (1/8" or so) for the pin because the connection is so small for the amount of pressure put on it.
I have no idea how I will get the wings to stay on. Brush thralls seems to think they are fine.
(http://www.brushthralls.com/model-walkthroughs/assembling-and-painting-lich-lord-terminus.html)
I still think they will need some kind of strengthening of the connection though as they are huge and completely offset weight wise form the connection. Their is very little room for a pin though because of the angles involved and the very narrow connections near the base of the wings.

The Scarlock thrall is now together, it just needs a little green stuff and some paint. I ended up pinning all 3 joints and it seems to have worked out well.

I have started thinking about paint schemes. I have seen some interesting alt schemes but I think I will be sticking with fairly standard colors.

Basing is another issue. I am not sure if I want to go with standard basing on the Cryx or something a bit different. I like standard dirt, rock, and grass basing on most Warmachine models but I prefer snow on Kahdor and Sand on the privateers.
I was thinking of going for a volcanic rock type look like a Basalt or Scora (http://itc.gsw.edu/faculty/tweiland/igrx.htm) as the Isles of Cryx are formerly volcanic and the black coloring would go along well with the models. I am worried that this will not create much separation between the models and bases though. In addition I am not sure about how to achieve a clear volcanic effect that doesn't just look like black gravel.

So Terminus and the Seether have a ways to go, and I need to start the Bane Knights soon. I will be putting brass tubing on their halberds.

[Matt Thomas]

I finally got some pictures uploaded from my first Cryx modeling session. You can see the number of pins I am using in the Seether.

The spikes in the top armor plate didn't quite fit in their sockets, and being on top of the model will make them easily brushed. Without pins I think they would probably snap off before I even finished painting. 5 pins just for that.


This is the arm assembly (plus one extra spike from the leg - far right) the hooked spike 2nd from the right goes in the back of the hand. This will be one of the last things assembled as even pinned it could break off during drilling etc.
The larger double spike goes in the back of the shoulder (the 2nd bit from the left). You can see where I have drilled the shoulder out for arm magnets. I have not yet finished the matching machining for the arm itself. A pin will be used to keep the arms from rotating in the socket.


The armor plate is pinned to the torso with a thicker pin, as are the legs and head.

I will get more recent pictures up as soon as I have a chance.

[Matt Thomas]

I have more photos but it is way past time for bed... anyway just a teaser for tonight.

The assembled Seether armor plate.


Moving to a 100% Crop you can see some small gaps, I have actually seen these work out for modelers so I am not sure if they will get green stuffed or not yet.



I will try to get some pictures of the Bane Knights up soon.

[Ian Mulligan]

You are a pinning ninja.

[Matt Thomas]

Ninja or Psycho?

[Matt Thomas]

I promised more pictures so here are a few.

My Scarlock thrall just needs a little green stuff in a couple of gaps (yes I pinned all 3 joints on the model). The Scarlock should be amazing on the board. 15 points to cast up to a 3 focus spell each turn! and he can go off and follow some other group around to stay in range. Super sweetness. I do think it might have looked better if I had moved it further forward on the base.

Front




Back




and a 100% crop of where the green stuff is needed

Bane Knights
As stated previously I also need a unit of Bane Knights for my 350 list. I started working on these the other day.
I am going to replace the very bendy halbreds with steel rod and brass tubing. I will post pictures of the various steps as I complete them.
The arms will need to be pinned to the torso because the shield and Halbred make for large levers to pop them out. Most of the other joints probably don't need any pinning.

Below is an image of the parts for each Bane Knight
- Torso
- Head
- Halbred Arm
- Shield Arm
- Shield
- Back Spikes
- Shoulder Armor (x2)



I love Privateer Press models. The detail is amazing. Even the back of the shield and the arms under where the shoulder pads will completely cover them are well sculpted.
My only complaint on these is how poorly the shield fits onto the spike on the shield arm. The spike is far far smaller than the hole so it flops around a lot and I wonder about the strength of the connection.

--- On Edit ---
Edited to try to prevent side scrolling.

[Ian Mulligan]

246/350 painted. You need to pick up the pace.