G'day All,
I have a couple of things on the go right now (all unfinished) because I have been severely distracted this week thanks to Barks pointing out I've not been keeping proper track of my Skullz. For this I can only profusely apologise and hope that the following makes up for my lackadaisical attitude in some fashion...
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| Nagash. Collector of Skullz extraordinaire! |
Back in 1994 Games Workshop released a huge necromancer model entitled Nagash. Sculpted by Gary Morely in weighty pewter, this has been more or less universally hated by the Warhammer community, often listed amongst the worst models for the game of all time. For me though, the original Nagash is absolutely packed with character and is a perfect example of everything that has been lost to the sands of time since the introduction of digital sculpting. He's got presence and you can't but help be drawn to his evil gaze.
The new pinheaded Nagash 2.0 model is about as scary as a two week old Labrador puppy, sleep drunk on warm milk and belly rubs. This is partly due to the fact he is weirdly launching himself skywards on what is presumably some sort of magical energy, a kind of rip off of various 40K Necron HQ models. It's not just that though, he's utterly soulless (and not in a good way) and looks more like an severely underfed super hero than a necromancer. Worst of all he's got like a dozen Skullz on him, if that. You had just one job sculptor...
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| One of these things is a terrifying creature, capable of wreaking havoc upon the lives of countless unsuspecting victims. The other is Nagash 2.0 |
Not so the original Nagash who has Skullz up his wazoo and then some! It would be quicker for me to point of where there aren't any Skullz. So I have...
Putting this guy together from his six components was relatively straightforward but I did have to use a fair chunk of green stuff to plug some unseemly gaps, partly because I chose to twist his staff 90 degrees to display it face on, which then necessitated repositioning and pinning the arm holding it. Twisting his staff was a rather tense ten seconds but the age of the metal means it's pretty pliable and there was no dramas in the end thankfully.
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| Shame about the mold line on the Necronomnomnomicon but I couldn't do any more to smooth it out without damaging the detail. |
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| Pity the poor fool who has to help cinch that waist! |
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| Bone sword you say? It's not a Skull but it's still boney |
And now the bit you've really been waiting for... the Tally of Skullz!
- Head: 0 Skullz (bone structure Mrs Millsy would kill for but there's skin on top so that doesn't count)
- Pointy Hat: 43 Skullz. Nice!
- Skully McSkullface the Skull Staff of Skullz: 96 Skullz!!!
- Sword: 1 Skullz. I know, right? Wasted opportunity that...
- Dagger: 2 Skullz.
- Belt and Dangly Whatsits: 9 Skullz.
- Necronomnomnomicon: 1 Skullz on the cover (but how many are inscribed within?!?!?).
- Armour and Clothing: 3 Skullz.
- Base: 6 Skullz. What restraint on my part!
Total: 161 Skullz! On one miniature!
To be honest I've probably underestimated the total Skullz but I decided that anything that wasn't at least two eye sockets and some teeth didn't count.
Nagash is 54mm tall to the eye (well his eyes, there's technically 43 more sets of eyes on his hat) so I've scored him as 10 points but I'll leave the final judgement to Curt. Look into his eyes Curt, look deeply...
Hope you enjoyed him. Moar Skullz!
Cheers,
Millsy
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161 skullz on one miniature? Judges, I want a recount. ;)
This is rather fabulous Millsy. I TOTALLY agree with you about the new and 'improved' Nagash model, and laughed aloud at your photo equivalency of it's spirit. :) Yes, the new one is completely naff, while this venerable model has loads of spirit and spite in equal measure (seriously, I really don't get the hate for it). I also quite like your bone effect on his staff, sword and mitre, and his 'fleshtone' is suitably icky. Awesome work, Mr. Mills!
I've been bewitched by your sorcery, Millsy, and have awarded you another five points for the skull-haul. I have an entry coming in later with a few boney noggins in it, so we'll see if I can match you in today's skullcount (tm).
- Curt
This was a hilarious read Millsy - I'm with Curt, can't agree with you more re: the lack of spirit in many of the newer figures spewed out from GW these days.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing of 40K, but I have have an affinity for pewter and this figure is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of skulls on one figure for sure! Nice work, Millsy! :)
ReplyDeleteThat old sculpt is simultaneously awful and amazing. Peak GW sculpting of its time. You’ve absolutely smashed the paint job mind you and good work twisting the metal without it snapping, always tense.
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of fun reading through this post Millsy. Skulltastic.
ReplyDeleteA great read and a great painting, well done Millsy
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, but what do you mean no skullz on the elbows. Take back and get a refund
ReplyDeleteAbsolute classic, so bad it is good. Well done on tallying all those skullz!
ReplyDeleteI’m quite sure there has to be some law against having that many skulls on a single miniature. However, the story is hilarious and the paint job top notch and wonderful all around. Fabulous entry!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone, glad you like him!
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, not everything produced by GW or by digital sculpting is rubbish. Quite the opposite at times. I do think it's like big budget movies though, where having access to all the toys makes you a bit lazy about the things that really make something great.
Fantastic. I love the old Nagash, and it's great to see it still being painted by someone who gets it. The skulls are just one indication of it's absurd power!
ReplyDeleteHoly skull count Millsy .. - mind is any one else actually going to - you mad fool you .. cracking bit if work matey - love it
ReplyDeleteThat is an insane skull to miniature ratio. I think that old figure is definitely one of the poorest that GW made, but it still outshines the newer version, especially with a great paintjob like yours.
ReplyDeleteGreat paintjob on this figure
ReplyDeleteSplendid skully mc skullface necromancer!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
A beautifully executed classic and skull packed sculpt!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see I'm not the only Challenger who obsesses on a single miniature... :-)
This is awesome Millsy, great job. I love the old school heft these models have. I'm really not a fan of this new idea of making every GW model as dainty and delicate as possible. Its like they are showing off that everything is plastic now. Well, they still need some good old reliable pewter stuck under their bases to stop them toppling over every thirty seconds!
ReplyDeleteCracking work Millsy! One of the ugliest, but at the same time one of the coolest oldhammer models! Gotta love it!
ReplyDeleteLike you said, lots of new GW models are soulless in bad way. This old chap is full of character and very nicely painted!
ReplyDeleteSkulltastic!
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