These SKAVEN JEZZAILS are going to be my main entry at the Fang Painting Competition. Or at least: this is the one with the most work in it. And 'most work' is not always a good thing...
I had once seen a nifty conversion for Skaven Jezzails, using Kroot weapons instead of the ordinary metal (or Fineast) models. This was doable.
Originally I wanted this unit to fit in with my regular army, and so the rats themselves had to fit the bill too. The old original (monkeyrat) models just didn't make the cut, so I used models from the Island of Blood starter set.
But as I went on converting, I realized I would probably never play them, as I think they are too costly to be played - however cool they are as models, and in the game.
So they have been lying around for a while, until I figured this would make a great Unit entry at the competition.
Now it was lots of work. I had to cut and sculpt entire arms to fit the hands on the guns. Next, those Kroot hands are just plain weird, missing one finger on the front, and - as I discovered later - two thumbs on the other side! I had to sculpt the missing digits too. To 'Skaven it up' I added some cogs and bolts and made a fine steam punk look.
Now the shieldbearers had to undergo some work too. I completely made the shields from scratch. Sculting the woograin on the front was a real b*tch. I should have gone with mere painting the grain as I did on the back. But luckily it still looks cool.
Then I used some ordinary Slaves/ Clanrat models - they were ideal for this.
I wanted to work some more with color theory, and before I set out to painting, I had a real long thought on what colors to use. As I wouldn't be using them in my army anymore, I could deviate from that painting scheme (reds) all together. Instead, I want the unit to stand out amongst other Unit entries on that table at the competition, so I chose a bright blue. Using color wheel theories, I came up with some complimentary colors - browns/red/purples, and yellow/bone-tones.
There were times I wanted to use other colors, or even wanted to quit the unit, but thankfully my friend Gert kept me on the path.
Below is the final result. I'm quite happy with them. I learned some new tricks, and gained some more XP :)
Now just wait to see what this does at the competition...!
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