The Cynic's Sect Kabal

Welcome to my humble hobby blog.

If you'd like to give me feedback on my hobbying techniques, please feel free to do so. This is a work-in-progress document, and I'm always looking for tips and tricks to enhance my models' aesthetics.

I settled on a pale, concrete/stone looking colour scheme, contrasted with copious amounts of blood. A few shades of grey and purple complete the majority of the range:

Tit and Tat, twin venoms.



Archon/Dracon




Kabalites



Scourges



Ravager (Waiting for magnets!)



Raider (Tonnes to do still)




Medusae - Looking for an optimal conversion for them. Ideas are welcome! (I'm considering hoods of some sort but their heads are quite bulbous)


That's all for instalment one. A lot of my work is stalled due to lack of the magnets I want to use on most of the big guns. I aim to complete my other 3 Scourges when I find the willpower to convert more haywire blasters, and put together 10 more Kabalites I bought last week. I'll also be working on an alternative Archon (also hooded ) in case he wants to buy a WWP and an Agoniser, and making a Succubus.

Really nice blood effects (how did you do it?) and the converted archon is great! The venoms and raider look very good aswell. Also nice to see colour variation on the kabalites, I went for a much more uniform look, but it gets a bit boring in the long run I now realize. Great job!

Space Socialist wrote:

Really nice blood effects (how did you do it?) and the converted archon is great! The venoms and raider look very good aswell. Also nice to see colour variation on the kabalites, I went for a much more uniform look, but it gets a bit boring in the long run I now realize. Great job!

Thanks for the feedback dude! Happy to hear it's not a complete eyesore to look at.

The blood is insultingly easy, but extremely fun to do. Pick up a Blood for the Blood God technical paint, then dip a toothpick/pencil/paperclip etc thoroughly. Flick the paint directly onto the target, ideally practise against some paper or something to see how the patterns work first.

As for the lack of a uniform look, I'm glad you like it. I consider Dark Eldar more likely than any other faction likely to put their own personal stamp on their armour, so going monotone wasn't gonna work for me.

I accentuated this for Scourges because they're supposed to be even more wealthy and vain than the regular Kabalites. I managed to finish the rest of the unit, minus the bases. Sadly my phone is terrible at taking photos:









So all 5 of these winged trolls are now ready to go kill miss vehicles with their haywire blasters





I did a little progress on the ravager, mainly the sail and rack portion and a few spears.





I also had a play with some green stuff to shape loose/cut flesh on the keel blade. Nothing screams Dark Eldar than ripping through infantry and leaving some of the roadkill on your keel.





I've added some poles to the Venoms, but I'm not sure I like them to be honest. I may move the flag to the Ravager and leave the Venoms relatively bare.







As for the second Archon that I've been toying with:







I think he's a little too static for my liking, but I may be able to bring some life to him in time. If anyone does have suggestions, I'm all ears.


An ultimatum was given that I cannot/should not buy anything 40k related until I've completed what I have unassembled and unpainted at the moment. This does add some motivation to actually make progress, so it's probably for the better. My plans to buy a Razorwing and some Sslyth will have to wait for now

Well, a cape like your other archon might do it, but that doesn't really fit well with the whole individualistic thing... Good blending on the whip!

Regarding the blood effect, I'm usually a fan of these quick "make it look great" tricks, although I've never tried the blood thing. Generally a fan of washes and really big brushes . Have you tried flicking the blood effect on with a toothbrush or similar?

Space Socialist wrote:

Well, a cape like your other archon might do it, but that doesn't really fit well with the whole individualistic thing... Good blending on the whip!

Regarding the blood effect, I'm usually a fan of these quick "make it look great" tricks, although I've never tried the blood thing. Generally a fan of washes and really big brushes . Have you tried flicking the blood effect on with a toothbrush or similar?

Thanks for that. Archons are kinda terrible at the moment anyway, and having one completed already is probably one too many as it is. But I'm sure I'll find some inspiration and give him some momentum somehow.

As for the blood, definitely. I've used tank brushed when I want to completely drench something. A bit overkill though. I've not tried a toothbrush, though if you, let me know how it goes!


I'm pretty keen to have some hybrid Dark Eldar/Eldar as I quite like the concept of these selfless, noble warriors having been corrupted to a greedy, Commorite cause. To this end, I acquired some Dire Avenger guns and hats a little while ago, and aimed to mix with Kabalites. Here's the initial results:






I've made some progress on the bodies of some more Kabalites, and explored a few patterns. I'm thinking the red/pink and stone will be great for a Dire Avenger.





Hopefully I'll complete them and add a few more soon!

hydranixx wrote:

As for the blood, definitely. I've used tank brushed when I want to completely drench something. A bit overkill though. I've not tried a toothbrush, though if you, let me know how it goes!

Will do Actually planned to do the final painting on my raider with a toothbrush and flick the final highlight colours on there to get fine dots rather than to blend the colours together, but I either chickened out or couldn't be bothered (Yeah, I'm probably not brave enough hehe...). Really want to try it out though!

Think the avenger/kabalite mix looks good! Makes for interesting characters and story lines within the army, like some plain old eldar finally saw the light and converted. Deep down the craftworlders are probably just as vain and selfish as the DE. We are all unique little (evil soul drinking) snow flakes after all

I'll echo Space Socialist and say those blood effects are great! They're especially striking on the stony coloured vehicles. Very nice colours.

I didn't even notice the Dark Eldar bodies on those Avengers at first... they really do play well together. If I ever decided to go down the Craftworld allies path that's probably the road I'd take; maybe reaper launchers on Incubi? I'll look forward o seeing them finished

That's a nice idea with the converted avenger!

Your vehicle color scheme is great! I'd like to say the same about your Infantry but your images just suck so I can't tell anything about the Infantry. (other than: please do get a better camera?) Other than that I'd prefer a uniform look too. Maybe give them some unique part on their Armour? Like he shoulder thing of the space Marines?
That way you have a uniform look and a unique part. Maybe on a squad basis?

As for the poles: if you plan on transporting those: don't attach them. They will break. I also have a chaos Marines army and those spikes ALWAYS break in the end.

Hey thanks for all your kind words and feedback guys! I thrive on hearing what others think

@Space Socialist - Yeah, I agree. In my eyes, most Craftworld Eldar conform too much, and sacrifice their individuality, just to endure, never even able to redeem themselves or prosper. I think all of them are tempted to live a life of freedom and abandon, as our True Kin do.

Craftworld armour mirrors this - far too straightforward and uniform for my tastes. That's why I wanted Kabalite armoured units that 'count as' Eldar ones.

@Creeping Darkness - Thank you for your comments. I was hoping it would appeal to Archons other than myself I'm thinking of other ways to incorporate various aspect shrines and Dark Eldar aesthetics. Incubi and Dark Reapers could be an option for sure. I think Howling Banshees and Wyches would be quite an interesting idea - especially as it means the Wyches actually get to leave the shelf for a change.

@CptMetal - Awesome, glad to hear you like this. I won't lie, my camera is supposedly pretty good. But I can see what you mean, and I think it's due to my poor camera work. As for the uniform look, I fully intended to do what you suggest - each squad will be either 5 or 10 strong, all with the same armour patterns. The 5 models I showed earlier would eventually be in 3 different units. And tell me about it, I played Chaos back in the day as well and I know exactly what you mean with those damn spikes. Even the Terminators were a struggle.


With this feedback in mind, I decided to go whole hog, and have Kabalite arms for the Avenger Shuriken Cannon as well. Dire Avengers arms are way too bulky and also have rounded ends unlike the Dark Eldar range's sliced ends. Here's what I've got so far:






I've also made a little progress on the other 4 lads:







I've managed to find three old Incubi of mine from several years ago:





I've heard most colour stripping methods destroys finecast, so I'm a little unsure what to do. I might have to slightly paint over the green and leave the purple as it is, tying in with another kabalite squad I have half completed (Being one half purple, one half stone)

Additionally, I've got my paws on some of these bad boys:





So, with addition of 160 (ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY) tiny magnets, I really have no excuse to not finish that Ravager anymore

Next on the agenda is some converted Imperial Guardsman, but I'll see if I can find time to progress on more Dire Avengers and the Ravager soon!

After a festive Easter, I've managed to eke out some progress at long last:





I quite like the purple/stone split. I'll be painting the Incubi in the same scheme so they may steal the Venom from time to time. The bases on these Kabalites (terrible currently) are all being replaced soon.





I'm thinking this one would be perfect for part of the Scalpel Squadron.

So this brings my pool of Venoms to 4 total:




I finally finished that Ravager, after intense procrastination:






I've also been trying my hand at some fleshcrafting . First on the agenda are some Sslyth as I'm not forking out so much money for their flimsy failcast versions. Quite happy with results thus far, though painting is only half way; sorry the photos are trash. Bonus points if you can recognise all the pieces  







I've also added some air prowess to the raid as well. This model is a blast to assemble as you all must know, and I look forward to adding a second. I've never painted anything like the gems on it so it was quite a challenge for my feeble skills:







This brings the entirety of the fleet itself to the following:





Sadly, this leaves me with only infantry left on the painting table, which I struggle to find motivation for painting. I'm still trying to find an interesting take on those Medusae. I have started sculpting big, bloated brains out the back of their helmets, so we'll see where that goes. I'm also practising the fleshcrafting art with some possible grotesques:










The chap with the huge spike seems over the top, and perhaps too chaosy, but I'm pleased with the lad who's pointing with his chest-arm  . I drew a little inspiration from Vortigaunts and Alien Grunts from Half Life 1 for him.

I'm not sure these two really suit the Grotesque look, but they were a lot of fun to create anyway. Again, bonus points if you can guess the pieces used!

That's all I have for now, but with luck I can find time to add some more progress soon.

We have returned.

In truth I've been back for a few months now as 8th edition has pulled my attention back to the game not so long ago - but I figured it's time for updates on this blog.

The first majoring thing I've focused on is basing. The new products available, particularly GW's 'earthen' texture paints and Skulls box, have made it a piece of cake, and I've been enjoying the process of adding varied bases to my fleet and infantry. Here's one snippet at some of my bases in-creation





The second thing I've been focusing on lately is adding some 'Craftworld Eldar' - mixed with Dark Eldar pieces of course. With these, I wanted a completely different colour scheme so that they can stand out on the battlefield, and I also wanted to challenge myself to using different painting methods and colours in general.

Our first additions are going to be Dire Avengers, Storm Guardians and Jetbike Warlocks/Farseers. Here's our progress so far:









I've also redone my lead Archon, as the previous base was a bit over the top. I've gone for a simpler aesthetic on the base, and topped the paint job up to make it a little cleaner overall. I'm satisfied with the results but may revisit him again for further work.







Lastly I felt I'd share a few miscellaneous snippets of the Kabal in action. I feel that the basing gives the models a far more cohesive look, and it's an absolute joy to manoeuvre the fleet about in games.







A friend of mine partnered up for a few doubles events, so we've been practising versus one another and with one another. I have to say the clean white Tau of my ally and my dull concrete+blood pair up nicely on the table - whether we're killing each other or killing with each.

Here we are bullying Saint Celestine and putting her back into the grave for the second time of the game!





I have made good progress on the basing for my Razorwing and infantry - which I'll photograph tomorrow.

Other things in the pipeline: painting more Kabalites (specifically Dark Lance Kabalites, which I'll try tomorrow) starting a Wych Cult. I've got a Voidraven, about 20 or so Wyches, and 6 Reavers still sitting in their sprues. I'm really keen to crack out some Wych Cult only lists but that will require a lot of assembling, painting and basing before that's ready to go....

I remembered to nab pregame pictures of the base work for my fleet. They were an absolute tonne of fun to make.

There's a certain amount of satisfaction in adding the broken bits of enemy armies to the bases of one's triumphant Kabal.












The progress on the Kabalites continues, slowly. This core of 15 Kabalite Warriors are about 95% finished now.  







Blasters being one of the new go - to's for Archons, I knew I wanted to get two Archons equipped with them for when I want to add them into my lists. I used Fusion Guns and an Ossefactor to make them, and went for an underslung approach on one for some variety - here's the WIP so far:





As for my Lanceborn (who performed reasonably well in game) I'm undecided how I want to proceed with them paint-wise. On the one hand I considered painting and basing them very uniquely to stand apart on the board, but on the other hand up I might want to mix Lances into regular Kabalite units from time to time... so for the time being I'm on the fence. Here are the four of them:

Spurred by a few tournament successes and upcoming events, I've been plugging away making progress on the fleet.

The primary new focus is on a display board, which I have some a pretty ambitious ideas for. More to come on that front.

In the interim, I have a few additions to add to the blog:

A new Archon/Succubus:






I've completed my kitbashed Raider/Ravager:











I've converted two units of 5 Rangers using bits from the Dark Elf range and some online retailers. This one such unit:





I've some additional Craftworld entries in the form of three War Walkers, converted to fall in line with the aesthetic of the rest of my army, of course:









Finally, last but not least, here's my new favourite duo, a pair of Reapers/Raiders with heavy conversion work:

Rather than painting more units, I've worked on a badlands display board for my bloody fleet of bandits. In the hope to add depth and detail to the board, without distracting from the fleet itself, I went for a small hill in the centre, a container in the corner to add some height, and rocks, bones, and purpley desert flowers to reinforce the badland vibe:

WIPs:
















The completed board itself:




...with a 900 pt army at the ready for a doubles tournament this weekend.

This army looks great!
Love all the little conversions, and those Reapers are awesome.
Loving the display board too.

Breadhead wrote:

This army looks great!
Love all the little conversions, and those Reapers are awesome.
Loving the display board too.

Thanks friend, I appreciate your kind words




Next on the work bench are some converted Harlequin characters - in case I want to sneak in a Harlequin Vanguard.

It's really been a year since my last update? Time flies!

Firstly, the aforementioned Harlequin Vanguard:








In addition to these, I have made some significant changes to my Dark Eldar core units.

I picked up another 15 Kabalites, and opted to go for a more uniform infantry look this time, tying their colour schemes together to be a more cohesive look. I've also changed my colour and method for their weapons, and I think it pops much more. To tie them into my fleet, I've added some blood spatters here and there. Lastly, I repainted 10 of my previously painted Kabalites.

First up, a few of my Syrabites.









Here are some of my nearly-completed units of Kabalites, each with a Syrabite and a Blaster. I haven't yet started on their bases, and I have another 10 Kabalites that need complete repainting, though those ones at least have their bases done.









Next up, my first Coven model. After a while playtesting borrowed models in various Coven detachments, I've decided to bite the bullet and start collecting my own. Here he is, in all his fleshy glory:







Venoms. We all love em. I've picked up another 5, as I adore abusing their rules with various detachment rules made available by our Psychic Awakening book. But before I crack into painting those new ones, it was time to give the original squadron some long-needed love. I've repainted their weapons, tidied up a few bits and pieces (though much more tidying up is needed for some of them!) and tried my hand at adding some actual weathering to accompany the blood.









In a similar vein, I've updated the Ravager core. They were getting dusty, damaged, and overall pretty mismatched. While I was at it, I figured it was time to ditch the Hammer-and-Sickle logo as they were not uniformly applied, and didn't look especially good - plus it's time to let my edgy teenager era go. Of course, I also added some weathering in a similar fashion to my Venoms.











My next steps will be to continue repainting the remaining 10 Kabalites, revise and update my Reapers per the above weathering techniques. As far as new units go, I have 3 Talos & 5 Venoms awaiting paint.

Here's hoping it doesn't take a full year for an update next time!

So much good stuff in this thread! I love the colour for the vehicles!