Tuesday 8 July 2014

Connor Mc Lambert - Grey Sensei (and I won a prize again...)

Here he is, Connor Mc Lambert, the grey Sensei !

Some of you may know I've engaged myself in a game of Necomunda during the Oldhammer Week End this summer. This game revolves around the idea of  a crossover between Highlander and the Sensei concept  (as presented in the Realm of Chaos tomes).
The link between the Highlander movies and the sensei concept has been instantaneous for most of the contestants with the immortals, special powers and all.
You can learn far more about the game HERE.

This game will probably be on of the most silly and tongue in cheek of the week-end and every member seems to be awaiting it with great expectations.

Of course I'll be throwing my own sensei in the pit but since some participants like Cheetor have already crossed the line with characters directly inspired from the film , I thought I had to take the opportunity to do a sensei based on Connor McLeod (played by french actor Christophe Lambert).


You may have realised the model does not have a striking resemblance with Christophe Lambert but it's almost intentional...

 

Ze dreaded scottiche immortal

Basics are here like the coat, the white snickers, the white shirt and the Katana. Apart from that I wanted my sensei to be a grey sensei and hence needed a "bad guy" head.
It seems my inner vision of a bad guy head is somehow looking like this :

WWF' Superstar Razor Ramon
But so be it...

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of grey sensei, they are sensei (i.e. sons and daughters of the emperor of Mankind) who have turned towards Chaos. Now this is something interesting because Sensei are by nature psychically invisible so it's most probable that the Chaos Gods will never notice them apart from their actions. I understand from this that they will very unlikely be rewarded for their actions and that their main purpose is to commit evil for the sake of it. I really see Grey sensei as some anti-paladins, with a lawful evil alignment.


Taken from the Realm of Chaos : The Lost and the Dmaned tome (page 185)

Taken from the Realm of Chaos : Slaves to Darkness tome (page 217)
 That last part is th eonly mention of a grey sensei I know of...

To portray this on the model, I chose the dark vengeance cultist champion as a base (Thanks a lot to Stygianheart for Helping me on that one, be sure all the parts will be put to good use mon ami).



The only signs of chaotic allegiance are the chaos star scar on his chest (partly hidden by his shirt), the chaos star on his clothing and the star in his back. I had to give him a Katana to check with the Highlander theme so I decided to alter his former sword and turn it into some sort of Daemonic sabre.

I'm happy that the grey sensei concept enables for something a little fresher than just a heavily mutated loonie, here, we have a character who has based his entire existence on undermining the emperor's authority, desecrating everything his father stands for and generally helping evil over good whenever possible. He may not look like it but his heart is black as coal and it is probably because he doesn't look like it that he managed to accomplish som much over his thousnads of years of existence.


I'll agree the paintjob is a rough one and I realise I'm not enjoying painting plastic as I enjoy painting lead. I may add some refinements later on but for now he is good for the tabletop and I have to move on more important matters for the Oldhammer event. (Oh and as I type these words, I realize I've just damaged the tip of his laspistol...)

Connor has been accomplishing his evil deeds for millenia now, patiently waiting to get his final prize. Now the gathering is nearing there is no turning back for there can be only one.


At the end, he will be able to gain incredible powers and to laugh like a maniac :


Now amongst all this I got the opportunity to make my nickname lose some of its sense. Sean from Sean's Wargames corner has organised a give-away for his 3rd blogaversary and it turns out I won it !

I've just received 31 lovely figures which happen to be 15mm Ratmen from Splintered light Miniatures. Sean kindly joined a set of the THW rules with supplement so that I have no excuse but try them ASAP.



I am really happy with these because 15mm is a scale I've never worked on before and I suspect I might actually learn a lot from it.
This number of models is just the right size to have some vacations from the grim darkness of a dark future and the fact it's actually ratmen (which I'v never painted once in my life) is a great chance.

Please go visit Sean if you don't already, you should find plenty of opportunities to continue visiting him.

I intend to base these beauties on 20 mm round bases I'll get from EM4 (along with some of their great model (you know, just to make it worth...).

My painting range is actually still very busy with models in preparation for the Oldhammer WE and my desk is also quite full of cards and stats for the games I'm playing there. All this hard (but much enjoyable) is proving very good for my motivation and the way I enjoy my hobby. I keep reading about "hobby burn-outs" from time to time and I have to say nothing seems alien to me than this at the moment.

I hope to show you a good bunch of Rogue trader adventurers very soon.

25 comments:

  1. Man, I love that work here! Not only the inspiration is coll, but you also sorted it out perfectly! +100 charm points!

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    1. Thanks a lot Suber, I enjoyed converting thi slittle fellow a lot. Giving him a Highlaner/80's vibe was my main goal so I'll probably end up making a more grimdark Grey sensei at some point.

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  2. Looks great JB; it's a really subtle conversion that's going to make me take another look at the Dark Vengeance plastics.

    I particularly like the fact that it proves the point that a sword-wielding character in 40k doesn't have to have to be waving his blade above his head and shouting to look characterful!

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    1. Thanks Jon, the heroic pose with arms in the air would have ruined the "I've been an outlaw living in the shadows for thousands of years " look of him I suppose. Having him bent forward with his weapons low but ready were far more interesting for me.

      Dark vengeance plastics are absolutely great (as most recent plastics and they offer infinite opportunities for conversion. Only thing is that a lot of the textures and surfaces are quite plain due to the Computer Aided Design. Old models often have exagerated features which paint better (just look at Bob Olley's wrinkles everywhere). Plastic models require a far much better painting level than I currently have so I'm enjoying them far less than old lead. That said, the modelling opportunities and easy conversion they allow make up for it.

      I'll give this one a little more care before BOYL so that he looks good for the game (bar has been raised pretty high)

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  3. Very nice. i knew who he was just from the picture before reading anything. Look forward to seeing the game.

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    1. If you recognised Christophe Lambert's illegitimate son with Razor Ramon at firts sight, then something is right !

      I'm finishing the special combat cards we're making for this game to act as turn markers and little give-aways. I hope people will enjoy the show.

      Thanks Erny !

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  4. That's a cracking conversion, so much so I didn't initially spot it as one.

    Those cultists are ever useful. I really must track some more down.

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    1. Thanks a lot. Those cultist are a wonder to convert, I actually have another one of those to convert into a Venator captain and 2 of the hooded cultits to convert too. Th erank and file cultits can also be very useful. That Dark vengeance box (only talking about the models) was a godsend.

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  5. You never cease to amaze me with your conversions JB. The methods that use to come up with mini ideas (with their well thought out back stories as well!) & then make it all come together is nothing short of inspirational.

    Your a credit to the gaming community!

    Cheers

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    1. (removes a tear from his eye) well... thank you!
      It is very rewerding to read that people fancy those kind of projects. The technical skills at display are nothing to be awed at but completing them in a short notice with a reasonable result is the way I like it.
      There are so much gems out there in the books and models, you barely just have to bend to pick them !
      I have no big plan about my hobby but slowly building pieces one after another and seeing a world take shape is definitely what I find to be the most interesting.

      Next step is to take all these onto a tabletop to share it with other enthusiasts !

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  6. Goodjob Mr BJ, Razor Ramon eh?.. What was his catchphrase again?.. Oh yeah! ''A'yo Chico!'' :D

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  7. That's an awesome conversion, and a really characterful model. Well done!

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    1. The convesrion is awesome indeed, I'm sometimes frightenend by my own talent. Good thing is, my painting skills are so limited it helps me keep my feet on the ground.
      Characterful he is, I can't wait to write a few lines of gaming history with him...

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  8. Great job on the conversion JB. Thanks for the shout out as well. Take your time with the Ratmen, it sounds like you're busy.

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    1. Thanks Sean, My pleasure ! I am busy indeed but such projects are no burden at all !

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  9. Ace work on Mcleod err Mclambert JB, super creative.
    Be sure to get a pic of him next to Cheetor's Sean Connery mini!

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    1. Thanks Bruno, McLambert and Ramirez will definitely get their group shot, maybe the Kurgan will even grace ourselves with his presence...

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  10. That is fantastic old son. Very, very nice work. Particularly on the coat. I was watching Highlander the other day - our expectations of a sword fight in a movie have some on a bit since then, but it's still good fun. The soundtrack is as good as ever.

    We are Princes of the Universe!

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    1. Thanks a lot. I actually watched the first 2 films to get the spirit right in preparation for the games and models. Now I practice sword myself, I can see how wrong everything is but somehow the fact everything is wrong feels right. The soundtrack helps a lot.

      I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings Yeah !

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  11. That laughing video made me... ehh, laugh.

    The man from Glenfinnan looks the business JB. A couple of back to back shots, possibly in front of the Holy Ground monuments or something should be a bit of fun :)

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    1. I really mean to avoid being a nuisance to other gamers but part of me still thinks having a pair of loudspeakers to play a couple of songs in the key moments of the game would be good. Maybe I can sport a Mercury 'stache instead...
      Back to back shot is mandatory of course, a fistful of pics will become legendary.

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  12. L'ensemble du travail que tu as réalisé sur cette bande est formidable, recherches, conversions et mise en peinture. Je la suis depuis le début et vraiment je trouve ça admirable, un grand bravo.
    Je te souhaite beaucoup de plaisir pour BOYL14, les "habitués" ou "pilliés" de la communauté sont vraiment très amicaux. Et tu seras surement aussi agréablement surpris que moi de rencontrer la famille Ansell. Le père ne parle pas très fort..., voir un peu dans sa barbe des fois... mais bon ... si j'ai compris, tu comprendras :)
    A+ Nico

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    1. Merci beaucoup, celui là est un peu à part et juste pour le délire mais j'ai une autre bande en prépéartion qui sera dans une autre tonalité.
      Vu le temps qu'on a passé à préparer BOYL ca devarit êter mémorable et je pense ne pas être déçu. J'ia bien hâte que l'on se fasse une vesrion française. Je ne sais pas si tu as jeté un coup d'oeil mais il y a eu du nouveau sur la page FB de la communauté.

      Merci encore ;),

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  13. I can't believe I missed this post, my blog feed is just so full right now. I spend some time working on terrain and great things just fly by without me realising.

    That Sensei conversion is truly awesome!!! Highlander is one of my all time favourite movies!

    I'm happy those parts are coming in useful and that you are making inspiring pieces like this, it puts a smile on my face my friend :)

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