"Up, Up, and Away!" - Skyriggers - Part I

These skyborne, science-wielding

duardin ply the skies in gun-laden

ships in search of plunder and profit

- Games Workshop

Ahoy-hoy and welcome back to The Art of Caesura!

Although last week's post may have seemed out of the (deep) blue (sea), long time readers might recognize that the subject matter for today's and last week's posts are actually very closely connected...

Anyway, crypticness aside, today we're looking at the Skyfarers that I've been working on for the past few weeks. Today we'll be focusing on my near miss with insanity that was magnetizing these guys and painting them. Next week we'll have a grand unveiling of the finished dudes!

If I ever get to play Age of Sigmar, I'd like to be able to use my Balloon Boys as either Skywardens (because they look cooler) or Endrinriggers (because they're better in the game), and with only a head- and arm-swap holding me back (nevermind those pesky sky-mines) I didn't think this would be too big an ask. 

I started with the Sergeant (Misenmaster etc.) I drilled out his neck and arms and superglued in some magnets, then did the same with the various heads and arms he might have - mind the polarities!

Once I did this I realized that I'd made a fatal error...or more accurately...misjudgment. I realized that he would have four possible heads: two "leader" heads, and two standard heads (skywarden and endrinrigger heads) and four possible arms. That meant that for any configuration there would be 5 painted and magnetized pieces that wouldn't be used. That would be manageable for one model, but for three? FIFTEEN extras! Plus I find it quite time consuming painting in sub-assemblies like this. 

I spent a while considering my options and eventually decided to postpone my decision. After extensively magnetizing the leader, I decided to do the other two as the special weapons options that are shared amongst the Skywardens and Endrinriggers. This would mean that I would just have to magnetize (and paint) the different head options. Technically the Skywardens also have skymines, but these looked too tricky to magnetize so I just left them off. 

The colour scheme is basically the Barak Mhornar one from the Kharadron Overlords Army Book - the one I have used for all of my KO. 

Here's the recipe:

Base Colours:

Under-suit: Ushabti Bone

Armour: Stegadon Scale Green

Copper: Screaming Bell

Steel: Leadbelcher

Brown: 2:1 mix of Doombull Brown + Abaddon Black

Aether-effects: White Scar

Rope: Averland Sunset

Effects:

Aether-effects: cover white with 1:4 Contrast Talassar Blue : Contrast Medium

Shades:

Under-suit, Copper, Brown, Rope, Brass: Agrax Earthshade

Armour, Steel: Nuln Oil

Highlights:

Under-suit: Ushabti Bone + White Scar

Armour: Stegadon Scale Green + Sotek Green then adding Lothern Blue

Copper: Hashut Copper + Stormhost Silver. 

Steel: Runefang Steel + Stormhost Silver

Brown: 2:1 mix of Doombull Brown + Ushabti Bone

Rope: Averland Sunset + Ushabti Bone

The closest reference model I had was my Drakkskewer from Thundrik's Profiteers who I had an awful lot of fun painting. 

I enjoyed painting each of these guys' balloons with a different predominant colour to mix up the look of the unit a bit. 

On to the highlights and piping! I painted all the piping and aether-effects bits white in anticipation of a thinned layer of Talassar Blue and began on the meditative process of highlighting the blue. 

More than any other stage of painting my Kharadron Overlords, I find highlighting the blue to be a true joy. I can just get in a flow state and dab smaller and smaller highlights on armour panels. I guess that's why people like painting Space Marines so much!

I realize now that I didn't take any work-in-progress shots of painting the details. But around this time I like to paint all the compasses and gauges (there are loads of them!) with a white face and just pool a little Mephiston Red into the recessed "danger" zone. I paint the "flint" on their guns with Gaussblaster Green, and finish off using some of the AK Interactive weathering pencils mostly for rust effects - which you shall see next week. 

Work in progress on all the heads...

Next week we'll have a huge showcase of the finished Skyfarers, but first I shall leave you with one image, giving you an idea of how last week's post ties in...

Thanks for coming by, I'll see you next week on The Art of Caesura!

Watching: The Queen's Gambit

Reading: Paradise Lost - John Milton

Next Week:

It's a bird...it's a plane...