WIP Haemonculus of the Twisted (My first ever Dark Eldar model!)

Hey there,

wanted to get some input on the first creation for my Coven of the Twisted:











Obviously it is still WIP.
It was originally inspired by this, and is going to be my Haemonculus Ancient / Urien Rakarth / Haemonculus with exotic gear. He is built to be able to represent any mysterious weapon the Coven can field to battle, minus the Hexrifle. (I'm going to build three other Haemonculi, two with Venom Blade and Liquifier, and one with Hexrifle)

Venom Blade, Power Weapon, Agonizer and Huskblade are all easily represented by the knives he is holding, and/or the sysringe. Mindphase Gauntlet, Flesh Gauntlet, Scissorhand and Electrocorrosive Whip are represented by his gauntled. Animus Vitae, Casket of Flensing, Soul Trap, Liquifier, Archangel of Pain, Shattershard, Crucible of Malediction and Orb of Despair could be the piramid thingy over his head. Vexator Mask is, well, his mask; Dark Gate and Webway Portal are hidden in his coat.

My worry is, however, that he may look... overloaded? Too busy?
I'm submitting this model to the conversion contest from 'Miniature Wargame Conversions' and would like to know what I could do in order to improve my chances of placing in the top three!
Of course, you're free to vote for my Haemonculus as soon as the voting is opened (on July 21st), hint hint...

Any suggestions?

That is awesome! I love it!

I think you hit that dead on.
Looks awesome, and is a nice balance between dynamic and busy, it gives that 'your sould is mine' look.

BTW, good deal on whoever mirrored and coloured the codex pic.

I think it looks great the way it is. Very representative and not over the top.

Good luck in your comp.

I like the whole dynamics of the model and his relaxed floating pose.
Perhaps the gauntlet should have been in the same lowered and relaxed position as the lowest right hand?

The whole back and spine part of the model looks really good as well.

However, I really don't like the flaming pyramid thingy above his head.
I think it's close to ruining an otherwise very nice looking model.



And I'm glad to hear there are more competitors from this forum.
I sent in my Archon as well.

Good luck!

Thanks for the kind comments so far.

@ Speedfreek:
Yes, I actually thought about the pose you're suggesting, but then decided to the stick with the pose found in the artwork. Also I like how it makes him look like some kind of artist, as his pose suggests flowing movement and strong expression.

Hmm, the pyramid thingy... yes, I am not sure about it either. I wanted to include it because of the equipment it can represent, as written above, but do agree with you in that it looks a little... out of place? It didn't look any good on the original gloved Archon hand either. How could I use it? Where to integrate it? Should I rather scrap it completely?

And oh man, you're entering as well, huh? So no first place for me, that's for sure!
Nah, best of luck, man. Can't wait to see your Archon! Is it going to be a Harlequin-themed one?

I think the model is busy enough as it is. Haemonculi are already teeming with limbs and vials and multiple spines; if you want to just take the flaming pyramid off, I don't you need to replace it.

If you absolutely want it in, you could perhaps put it in his downward-facing hand on his lower-right side. Have him holding it, with the flames streaming between his fingers.

Such an awesome conversion that I didn't even see the pyramid at all! Well done sir. I was taking a break from painting my (mostly stock, minus a hand swap to move the spooky box from the lower hand to the upper and giving him a pistol on the lower right hand)Haemonculus and had been wondering what I would do for a 2nd and 3rd Haemi's. This is inspiring. Post pics when it's painted, please!

Damn man, that's an awesome Haemonculus! I hope mine ends up looking that good.

That's better then the GW official finecast model. Well done.

Whoa guys, thanks a lot. I feel flattered, really!

I've been studying for an important exam, so no updates on this dude as of yet. But expect the finished model to be shown here before Tuesday.

In the end I've decided to keep the flame thingy, but flesh out the part that connects it to the bone frame. I'll make it a little thicker and probably add tiny spikes. If it looks silly, I'll scrap it.
Furthermore, I'll take off the little Wrack head on his back, which I think the least of you have noticed. Id just adds unnecessary parts to the model and was only included because I thought it looked cool. I'll probably add it to my Hexrifle Haemonculus - we'll see.

I'll start my Project Log this week as well, so expect some other stuff from the Coven of the Twisted to be tackled, as well as of my Kabal of the Last Laugh and Cult of the Bladed Hand.

I'll keep you posted.

EDIT:
Ah, and what's your opinion on the rotting severed head hanging from the Haemonculus' left hip? Are Haemonculi that barbaric like the rest of their kin? The thought crossed my mind that Haemonculi may be a bit more calculating, cold and detached from battle, not really interested in taking trophies. Maybe that specific head is better suited for an Archon of some kind?

I think the head is cool. You could pretend it's a Crucible of Malediction or a Soul Trap.

And what do you guys think of a fine chain wrapped around his waist and also used to attach the head to it? I was also thinking of wrapping some around the spine-tail and letting it 'hang' down to the ground, to offer some support to the model. It is starting to bend a little at the weakened points in the tail, as I had to pin it to the base and is hollow at a certain part.

And a last thing: should I keep the mini Wrack head at the back? I imagined it as linked to the Haemonculus' brain, so that he can see to his back as well - very important in the back-stabbing society of Comorragh (pun actually intended). Also note that the two 'mechanical' arms in the back are designed to potentially be folded back and used as self-defense 'by the Wrack head'.
Alternatively this head could be removed and somehow attached to the Hexrifle-toting female Haemonculus, as some kind of aiming-symbiont. The Hexrifle being an assault sniper rifle 'n stuff.

Thoughts? Only one day to go until I need to send in the pictures for the competition! Every help is appreciated!

Hmm... that gave me an idea.

If you would like to have some shooting weapon, how about giving him additional spine with this head on top and gun barrel in mouth?
Something like this:

Oooh, I like that. Something to consider for my Hex-Haemo. Thanks, Ork.

Small update without pictures:
I did indeed remove the flaming pyramid, as it was too much. Am adding chains that hang from under the coat down to the ground to stabilise the whole thing.

I still need opinons on the Wrack head, though! My time is running out, every help is appreciated!

Nice work!

Alright, the Haemonculus is finished! (I think...)

Tadaaah:











Okay, okay, I admit, not very much has been done. But I have tweaked the details:
The pyramid has been replaced by a spike; the Wrack head on the back has been removed; a waist chain now holds the coat together; the base has been weighted with Milliput (because the model kept toppling over); the tail is stabilised by another invisible pin (can you see it?); bolt shell cases have been placed on the base; wonky folds have been modeled on the coat around the legs; all the surfaces have been smoothened (except for said coat: it's supposed to be made of rough skin); a shoulderpad has been added.

I hope you (and the judges!) like it! You can follow the contest on the website of Miniature Wargame Conversions and vote for the entries from tomorrow until the last day of this month. 10 days of voting, guys.
Please feel free to vote for my Haemonculus, of course. Every help is appreciated!

Expect more Coven madness soon!

PS:

I still have not sent the pictures to MWC, as I still have 21 hours until the deadline. I want to use this time if you guys find anything that could effect the rating of my entry negatively. So if you see anything, just point it out!

The ghoul's head looks like it's in a better angle now than before.
Also like the grenades/orbs in his belt.

And good you got rid of the pyramid...


(there might be a slight mold-line on the back side of the chronos tail lifting him in the 2nd picture)

Nicely done. The tweaks make it looks that much better.

Fantastic conversion, make sure you get some well taken photos. Think it'd look even better when painted.

Kinnay wrote:

Expect more Coven madness soon!

If that looks as good as this one, i am eagerly waiting!

Thanks for the comments, guys, I very much appreciate it!

The voting has started, so if you like my conversion, please feel free to vote for it.I n case you are interested, I'm entry 16. There are a lot of amazing conversions up there, so every vote would help, thank you.

Link to the voting: http://miniaturewargameconversions.blogspot.com/2011/07/mwcs-miniature-conversion-contest-let.html

Thank you guys!

I really like this kind of competitions, so I hope that by voting, they will continue with it for many month and years and give us all reasons for converting new unexpected models each month.

Go over there and vote!

Good luck Kinnay, speedfreek and Lucky No.5.