Stro'Knor Macekiller

So here he is! As I mentioned, this has always been one of my favorite models from the old range. It is also one of few models from my original collection that was still in my possession. This was actually a happy accident. When I gave away most of my Warhammer Fantasy armies, there were a handful of models that had been shuffled into another box and lost in my mountain of lead. My current Chaos collection consists of four Chaos Champions (two Nurgle and two Slaanesh), two Chaos Warriors (Stro'Knor Macekiller and Gargog the Unstoppable), and three Beastmen. I stumbled on a great deal on eBay that made me the proud owner of fifteen Chaos Thugs in one auction and I am eagerly awaiting their arrival...

But back to Macekiller! I haven't gone as far oldschool as some by seeking out 80s era paints - I used modern GW paints and shades for this model. I have full sets of Games Workshop, Wargames Foundry, and Vallejo Model Color and typically draw from all of these ranges when painting, but for this model I stuck with GW:

Armour: Incubi Darkness (B), Coelia Greenshade (S), Kabalite Green (L), and Sybarite Green (L)
Hood and Shield: Zandri Dust (B), Seraphim Sepia (S), Ushabti Bone (L), and Screaming Skull (L)
Fur and Mace Handle: Dryad Dark (B), Agrax Earthshade (S), Gorthor Brown (L), and Baneblade Brown (L)
Steel: Leadbelcher (B), Nuln Oil (S), Runefang Steel (L), and Drakenhof Nightshade (S)
Gold: Balthasar Gold (B), Seraphim Sepia (S), and Gehenna's Gold (L)
Boots and Belt: Abaddon Black (B) and Skavenblight Dinge (L)

(B) Base (S) Shade (L) Layer

My normal method of painting is to block in the base colors, add washes, and build up highlights in two or three layers. The final layer is always sharp, thin highlights applied only to the edges and highest portions of the subject. If anyone is interested, I can do a step by step article at some point, but there aren't any secrets to my method.

I decided to keep the design for this model fairly simple, without resorting to stripes, decorative trim, etc. I felt there weren't many surfaces on this model that would benefit from these. I added a few subtle cracks in the armor plates (right arm and right knee) by painting thin lines of Abaddon Black and highlighting the lower edge with Sybarite Green.

I couldn't decide what to paint on the shield. I have the vague notion at the moment that I don't want my Chaos Warriors to be overly festooned with Chaos power symbols unless they are obvious champions of a power. The shape and center stud didn't lend itself well to complex designs so I decided to keep it simple and create a textured pattern. I simply painted stripes on the back to give the appearance of wood.

I really debated between basing the model in my usual method or going oldschool with the sand flocking and bright green, but I decided on the former. That way I can use them with existing models in my collection. The mushrooms are a nod to the oldschool basing and were taken from my bits box... I think they were from a Night Goblin sprue.

Next up... Gargog the Unstoppable!