Taking Stock: ITEN

Oh, my poor blog.  How quickly I neglected to update you!  Still, I think the next step on this path of righteousness is to take a look at how far I've gotten with this year's projects and see how much further I have to go with them.  First up, ITEN (In The Emperor's Name).

This is probably the best update to start with, since I only have this week to complete my Harlequin Troupé before travelling to Glasgow to put them to the test.  I have worked out that in 200pts, I can include 3 characters and 1 basic Harlequin.  So, with that in mind, I decided to make the entire cast of characters (Troupé Leader, Death Jester, Shadowseer and Solitaire).

Here's how the troupé looks so far:

Left to right: Solitaire, Death Jester, Troupé Leader and Shadowseer.  Still working on the Solitaire head.  The wings are just for decoration, by the way.  I figured that playing the part of Slaanesh in performances would entail something to make her look daemonic.  Closer looks next:

 

The Shadowseer is a combination of Dark Eldar Wych and Kabalite Warrior parts, in order to get the back-mounted grenade launchers.  Note, as with most of these guys, the Space Marine plasma pistol.  It just works, and was easier to get hold of than Eldar weapons.  The base is a marker from the old Warhammer Skull Pass set.  Just a lick of paint and this model is ready to go.

 

The Solitaire.  I converted the blast pistol into a Harlquin's Kiss by cutting it away from the original hand, and mounting it on the wrist of another arm.  The wings are from a Dark Eldar Scourge, and I wish  had known beforehand that they need a Scourge torso front.  Still, a little work with a scalpel sorted out that problem.  Base decoration is again from Skull Pass, and I'm working on a converted head to complete the daemonic imagery.  Should be completed in time for Friday, maybe not painted, though :(

The Troupé Leader.  Pretty basic.  Based on a Dark Eldar Wych, with the Sybarite back banner.  The mohawk is a transplant from the Avatars of War Dwarf Berserkers set.  Everything else is sculpted with green stuff.  On the advice of my friend, Deke, I'm considering cutting away the hook on the shoulder pad, which is a little bit too Dark Eldar, on reflection.  As you can see, he's undercoated, ready for painting.  I should at least get a base coat laid down before the weekend.

And finally, the Death Jester.  Not too much fancy dan work on him.  I wanted to avoid the maxim that having a heavy weapon means standing still all the time, so I used a set of dynamic Wych legs and another Skull Pass marker to make it look like he is constantly spraying bursts of fire from the shrieker cannon at people and moving on before they can return fire.  The head is from the Vampire Counts skeleton regiment (I specifically wanted a skull that seemed to be laughing maniacally.  The top knot has again been donated by an AoW Dwarf berserker.

So, what next?  That's my set of characters well underway.  All I need now is a less glamourous member of the chorus to join them.  While I may, at best, be able to get a base coat on the warband, I'm confident that this project, at least, will be completed by the end of the year.  Probably jinxed myself now...