It Starts With One

After a VERY long time I've finally managed to finish one of my Plague Drones. While a pretty decent achievement it does highlight the fact that I take far too long in painting a single model but in my defence Nurgle models contain an extraordinary amount of detail and I refuse to miss any of it. Plus I have to make up for the terrible job I did of the Herald of Nurgle (I still can't figure out how to fix him though yet). Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I give you the Plaguebringer!!

Since I took this picture I've dry brushed the base with Ulthuan Grey and added some Dead Grass but I'm not finished with the scenery yet. Unfortunately I'm not sure what else to do just yet so it will stay as it is until I figure that out.

I decided not to use the head provided for the Plaguebringer but instead use the fly head from the Plaguebearers unit that was left over. Somehow it seemed more fitting that the leader of a unit of fly riders has the head of a fly though I'm pretty sure I'm not the first to come up with it.

There are a great many things I like about this model but there are two things in particular that stand out. Primus is the contrast between the dark and mottled skin of the Fly and the brighter skin of the Plaguebringer. Secondus  is that the skin of the Plaguebringer is distinct from but also blends with the wings.

I did learn one thing from the Herald of Nurgle which is that as much as Nurgle likes his guts falling out, limbs rotting and contorting and boils erupting in places a man didn't even know he had but not in excess. My problem with the Herald is that I tried to make him more gory but Nurgle is not a study in gore, Nurgle is more subtle than that so while I felt that some blood was necessary I tried to keep it subtle. 

With the gore being subtle it did not overwhelm the model but was simply an accent and a way to break up the dark colour scheme of the fly itself. The boils were great fun to paint now that I've figured out how to do them right. I'd like to claim credit but alas I cannot and all due credit must go to Blackdog Painting Studio. While I wasn't giving up my paint scheme for the Plague Flies (their darkness is a nice contrast to the rest of the Nurgle forces) I felt the way that they painted their boils was brilliant and natural looking. They start by being based with Tallarn Sand, then highlighted with a 50/50 mix of Tallarn Sand and Ushabti Bone. After this was a wash of Carroburg Crimson and highlighted again with pure Ushabti Bone et voila! C'est manifique, if I do say so myself. 

I leave you now with a final look at my Plague Drones and I hope you enjoy it. If you have any suggestions as to what I can do with the bases then feel free to post them but for now I bid you adieu.