So I started to think about a new army. And since I was fed up with those damned Space Marine shoulderpads, I wanted something I had not done yet. Most great painters would immediately grab some Eldar models to test their skills on, but nooOOoo, not me!
In a funny mood, I thought up a ridiculous concept. Something that would make the guy at the other end of the table keel over just to look if he is seeing this right. And probably laugh his ass off. And then tell his friends about it.
I wanted to do a Necron army, that was made of wood...
Yeah, that's right: WOOD! Just try to imagine the talks I had, where friends encouraged me to do this. "Oh, and you know what would be fun? If you'd do...and maybe even..." People shouldn't encourage me like that, because soon after I acquired my first fuckload of Necron models. So much, that turning back now would not only be a waste of money, but would also make me look like a fool.
That said, I started planning this thing. I conjured up some semblance of an army list, where the looks of the models had priority over the effectiveness in game. I knew that I had to do a great job on the wood-likeness, because some stupid thing like this should be done properly and awesome, or not at all. Ever tried having people laugh WITH you instead of AT you with a ridiculous theme painted in a crap way?
So I did some testing on a single Necron Immortal. At first, I did this effect where the cracks of the wood were accentuated. Although the colorscheme looked good, I felt it was just not spot on. Friends and onlookers were divided in their opinions, which only confirmed to me that this was not the way to go.
I took a look back at a single model from the Wood Elf line years back, where I painted it's sword with wood grain. A really simple concept, but very effective. So I went back to the test model, and tried to recreate that. And I feel so much more content with this!
Now the basing is another problem altogether. First off, I thought that a nature-themed look would do good - actually simple sand-grass-leaves or something. But that felt tacky after a while. Another stupid 'way-too-much-work-for-such-stupidity' idea popped in my head: I'd do a Tech/ Cybertronian/ Necron Base Star/ Tron kind of thing. So with some quic work with plasticard and tubing, I created a great looking theme for basing. Although I painted the base three times over just to get the right look, the end result is fitting, exciting, and original.
...and so much work...
These are most of the needed bases during the very first step: a single layer of plasticard just to make it a smooth, flat surface. Still needs some different levels, tubing, details, gizmos, and what not. Oh, and putty to smooth and even out the rims.
I figured I needed to do the bases first, as I figured painting the bases with the models on would prove to troublesome. Which means that I will not even have an unpainted army to game with - it will be playable only when finished!
Damn...what did I get myself into now?
Stay tuned for more on this project as I progress...slowly...
