Penitence is the mark of the holy

Next on the agenda is three penitent engines. These models are almost as daunting in a way as the exorcist kit. They are giant walkers in the style if a crazy sentinel. Entirely made of metal, they weigh a tonne and are covered in intricate detail.
Doing the usual research on the interwebz proved fruitless as usual with sisters models. In some ways worse as not even sisters players take these.
That was till I found a website where the owner had decided to WIP a rusty penitent engine. Figuring they were mostly build cheaply, from scrap, to be cobbled together and thrown at the enemy. The salvaged and a new penitent strapped in for the fight! This gave free reign to weather the fek out if the penitent engine. Thereby bypassing the need to highlight and shade the intricate detail. This therefore became the plan:

Clean and de-spur
Assemble
Some ultra detail to differentiate
Undercoat black
Airbrush all over gunmetal
Zenith highlight VMA: Aluminium
Pick out bearing surfaces and sockets on Valejo Old Gold
Apply rust solution
Rub off excess with wetted kitchen towel

Three little Exorcists

Well, I think I will miss the Bolter and Chainsword deadline for the two Exorcists. I fly out on a three week holiday in a few days, back in April, so how they are now is how they will be at the deadline.
I have remaining to do:
- Fix the tracks and weather to European dust;
- Fix the front Glass to the last model
- some more pilot detail
- 2nd level weathering of rust and rain streaks

So close and yet so far.

The First Outing Of Sister D'Ark

This was a trial Game of the Wars of Armageddon packs written by Dean Carter for the event he is planning at Tabletop Nation.  Dean was using the Imperial Guard V1 codex, and I the Imperial V1 codex.  Play testing of the Sisters of Battle D'Ark entry.

So, they deployed in 1st turn by deep strike in Drop pod and scattered into a pond.  Th Grils Jumped out and fired their bolt pistols into the block of 25 guard, Hitting once and wounding no-one.  So far so-bad.

Guard Second turn, they fired and killed two with massed las-rifle fire.

My Turn two, the advanced to Assault and fired with bolt pistols, killing one guardsman.  D'Ark Calls on the Emperors Holy Radiance (Any wound causes blindness on the unit) through faith, which fails. Then they assaulted.  Snapfire killed another three, leaving only D'Ark in the melee

Where she went on to slaughter guardsman wholesale.

Lessons learnt:
- This unit needs a flamer or two to soften up the target before the Assault.
- Holy Radience needs some clarification in the Campaign pack. It is unclear whether it is for Assault, Shooting or what.

Sister D'Ark and her retinue

The first family shots of shots of sister d'Ark and her retinue. Still just iPhone photos, but needs must when the Devil drives.
They are still awaiting basing. I have a commission pending with Fantascape for more Gothic Ruins bases. I'm looking forward to that. Sister d'Ark herself is off on the right converted from a Seraphim. The rest are converted from sister superior of one model or another.
In the second picture Sister d'Ark is more in focus.
Still worikng out the blue veined marble effect. I thing i am probably not adding enough layers.
The squad gets its first outing Tonight. I even have their drop pod assembled. I suspect drop pod deployment for sisters is a *really* bad idea but you have to try these things. Perhaps inferno ammo or blessed rounds would help in the all important deployment phase. Oh well. Find out tonight.

Conversions Old and New

Firstly I will start with an admission.  I shamelessly plunder the interwebs for inspiration when it comes to modelling.  Whn I find somthing I like I will save the Image for later.  When it comes to making a model, I will then go back through these images and seek inspiration.  Sometimes copying diresctly, sometimes combining serveral ideas into somthing new.
What I have found since comming back to Sisters of battle, is that the Soroitas blogging / website comunity that once existed, has gone.  Blown away on the hard realities of no real "new releases" since the first batch in 1997, and a series of difficult to play codexes, culminating in the disasterous 5th Edition White Dwarf codex (Which as it turns out is a good 6th Edition codex, intentional?).

So I have set out here to recify this.  This post will be to "Sowcase" (no I am not that good),  as many of my surviving conversions from over the years.  These conversions span a ten year period, with most of them being done pre 2004 and the un-inspiring re-release of sisters, which gave us Repentia (A genuine addition to the range) and Sister Imagifier1 and Sister Imagifier 2.  These like the other "new" battle sisters were horrible re-casts of someones conversion of two battle sisters, rather than new sculpts.  This process gave rise to horrible loss of detail across the model.

Anyhow here goes, first up, the very old:
Winged Canoness Circa 2003:

She started live as a Seraphim Superior, The legs are from an Eldar Swooping Hawk model, while the wings are from a Swooping Hawk Exarch.  the Surplice is Greenstuff.  This was one of the first conversions I did.  She gets no play now as Canonesses can no longer be equipt with Jump packs (and are generally crap when compared poiint for point with a Living Saint).

Next Up:
Seraphim Superior Circa 2003:

Done at the same time as the Winged Canoness, she is a Seraphim body, with Eldar bitz, The Wings are Swooping Hawk, and the Sword is Eldar (Can't remeber which model).  The arm is from a very old plastic guardian arm, with the surpluce sleeve resculpted in green stuff.  The one major Variation is that the Wings are now attached with pins and Greenstuff to a cut down Sisters Back Pack.  She also gets no play any more, as she is painted in a colour scheme I no longer use.


Then came the Witch Hunters Release in 2004.  I had bult up much anticipation, and when it came, it was disapointing.  The new Rhino's I have grown to love, but at the time, I did not like.  The Exorcist is a nice idea, but so impractical in so many ways.  The real horror was the new sisters models.  So I decided to have a go at creating my own new Models, starting with the Canoness


 Canoness Circa 2005:
 Canoness Aria Deus, is a Seraphim. Her feet were cut off and re-positioned so as to make her standing rather than waftey-floatey.  Her arms were replaced with a Demon Huter inquisitor models arms, making her then blessed weapon a Power Hammer

Her backpack is constructed from a Sister of Battle back pack with the balls cut off aand replaces with Swooking Hawk wings and fares over with greenstuff.  The Icon above her head used to be the Icon of the original, and by then oop Canoness.

To bling her up, some scrollwork was added to the backpack, she is standing on a Skull covered base and has two forgeworld servo-skulls circling her as wound markers.


These days she stands in as my Living Saint model, and goes to the table every time I play.  My regular oppositiuon have learned to hate her.





Around the Same time I decided to try and differentiate my Celestians:
 Celestian squad, To Battle! Circa 2005:
In General the Idea was to replace the ususal side balls on the power pack with a Skull from the Chaos Marine Backpack, then paint it gold.  The sister superior has since lost her back pack conversio, but had a waepon swap instead. So she is still included here.

Celestian Superior

 Her Storm bolter is a weapon swap from an old metal terminator Storm bolter.

 Then cam the Celestians.  These are all headswaps from the Sisters of Sigmar.  Not sure it really worked. Never mind.  They dont come out often.  Celetians were always a bit rubbish.  They are neither fish nor foul being equiped as shooty troops but given faith effects of assault.

Sister Celestian 1

Sister Celestian 2

Sister Celestian 3

Sister Celestian 4

 Sister Celestian 4 also has a Weapon swap.  I spent hours carefull carving out her bolter to be replaced with a storm bolter.

Sister Celestian 5

Sister Celestian 6

 Sister Celestian 6 is also has a Weapon swap. Bolter replaced with a storm bolter.

 Sister Celestian is also a Storm Bolter from Bolter, with the head swap from a Sister of Sigmar.  She has since been demoted to a Sister Superior with the Retributors.

The last model from this preiod is a Heavy Bolter Sister into a Sister Superior using hands from a Seraphim and a plastic space marine chainsword blade.  a popular conversion done elsewhere.  I have noticed recently that her chain blade has snapped after the pin ends, So it miught not be long till she has a date with the detol and a re-construction.

Sister Noviate / Priest.
 

 This is a Sister of Sigmar with the Canoness hand swap.  Done as part of a Mad Scheme to remove all men from the army.

Battle Sister Flamers Circa 2005

Not much here, the front of the flamers have been replaced with ones from the imperial guard flamers, and given a Pilot light.  Tubing was added to connect the flamer to the back pack.

Now for the latest stuff.
Dominion Superior 2012:

The very same Canoness who gave up her Icon for Aria Deus, gained a Chainblade from the new Canoness hand options sprue.  She now serves as a Dominion Sister superior with an anti charge, combi flamer.  First time ever I have seen a use for combi weapons.
Battle sister Imagifier 2012:

An old OOP banner bearer who had had her banner pole clipped off in the mists of time.  She had a Comms Relay added to do duty as a Similacrum Imperialis.

Retributor 2012:

The Head is non-gamesworkshop.  Its a wood elf head from I know not where.  The Reliquary on her power pack is from the Sisters of Battle tank sprue ( I Think)

Dominion Sister Infernus 2012:

Simple Weapon swap, bolter for Melta.  The melta is an old metal Space Marine Bikers Melta.

Sister Superior d'Ark: Relic Weapon no 1

This is one of he Relic weapons the retinue can carry. Based in a Multi melta Sister, with Canoness hands and the Axehead from a Marine Sanguinary guard. All held together by a pin fashioned from a paperclip.
She has been painted in a different style from the usual. She has been sprayed in layers, then I have low lighted with Nuln Oil wash, then retouching with white. Still not sure I like it.

Then the relic blade was masked and airbrushed with VMA: White, Ice blue, French blue, seablue. The mask was moved and the other side of the blade sprayed.

Sister Superior D'Ark: Retinue No2

This is a more comprehensive re-work of the figure. Starting with a sister superior with bolter and power weapon (who was an old banner bearer who lost her arm Years ago), I have removed the bolter and hand and replaced it with a power sword from the Canoness sprue. For the missing arm I used a paper clip armature and the Canoness bolt pistol and greave. Around this i have rush sculpted he sleeve of the surplice. Mainly because i am an idiot in a rush. I should have blocked it in then waited then added detail one layer at a time.

And Now Base Coated.  Done with Valejo Spray Primer Grey:

Aftter airbrushing VA:DeepSeaGreen, VMA:Light Grey; VMC:; VMC:White,   I have varied my normal Method of White, with the addtion of a GW: Nuln Oil wash at the end, then touch uu with brush applied, very thin VMA:White: