Winged Hussar may be a hoarder! :)

I worked some more on my RPG model Winged Hussar sergeant this week after blutac testing out some configurations above.  I chose to go with the more "closed" stance Lieutenenant that typically comes with a bolt pistol and autoboltgun.  While I love the pose on the other one, I had already used it twice and wanted to do something a little bit different for this sergeant instead.   Here he is side by side with my previous infantry attempt.

 



The body and head are from the autoboltgun Lt but the left arm is from the other Lt whereas the right arm is from the Ancient (cut and reposed to angle away from the torso).  I cut away the moulded on shoulder pads and replaced them with a Deathwatch and Ravenwing pad instead so as not to use decals this time.  Since this is an RPG character, I figured he has to carry more with him typically on missions since he won't have the logistical resources of an entire Astartes company to resupply him with so I intended to use alot of extra bits on him.  About halfway through the build I started calling him "the busy marine" due to all the extra bits and bobs but I wanted him to have primary and secondary ranged and close combat weapons as a backup.  I liked the Reiver and Deathwatch style grenades on the torso so decided to do that here but chickened out on filling off the aquilla.  I had hoped that it would be more visible but it's pretty busy there on the chest and in retrospect I probably should have left those off.

As a sergeant, I wanted him to be less ornate than the Lieutenants so only gave him a single "wing" on his back (drilled into the top of the pack instead of glued in between it and the torso).  I initially planned on skipping the armpit shields and animal fur strip but had second thoughts about it because they're so iconic to so many historical Winged Hussar displays and art. It made the chest a bit busy (see the grenade thoughts above) but I decided to go with it anyways.  I changed up the short Ultramarine style loincloth to a longer Black Templar style tabard as well.  Finally, I previously used a small chain shoulder strap on the holstered bolters and decided to continue that with this model as well. 

Let me know what if any thoughts potential readers may have about the changes compared with the previous design.  I'm still undecided whether I'll paint him up in the traditional Winged Hussar colors shown earlier or if I'll put him in Deathwatch colors instead given that I added in the shoulder pad.  I intend the Deathwatch shoulder pads to be a permanent addition going forward with my custom chapter so they don't necessarily indicate service in that order.  The intended use for him though as an RPG character figure means though that service in the Deathwatch is an easy way to explain why this sergeant is away from his company/chapter of Space Marines.

Tweaking the Winged Hussars

So this weekend I finally properly restarted work on my Winged Hussars Primaris project.  As I mentioned before, the next fig will probably be focused not on the wargame but rather for use as an RPG figure.  I previously made various Lieutenant rank primaris figures (linked here) but this will be a more standard marine theoretically.  I say theoretically because I'm finding it difficult to make him less ornate as befitting a standard intercessor sergeant.

The top left row of three are from one Lieutenant base type fig whereas the bottom one is from another (please excuse the missing tabard on the bottom left).  I've incorporated the longer tabard instead of the shorter loincloth and also added a Deathwatch style shoulder pad on the left shoulder on the various examples.  The main difference is the body and rifle type.  The top one is more "open" and feels IMO more heroic but the bottom one has the helmet off allowing the figs face to be shown (not easily possible with the above figure due to the left arm).  Similarly, I think I prefer the bolt rifle (with the scope) but I also like the shoulder strap on the larger bolt carbine... but the reiver SMG style carbine (with the front handle) also looks cool and is a bit better proportioned IMO.  One option possible might be to cut the strap away and add it to the scoped bolt rifle instead.  Alternately, I previously used a small chain as a strap and could do so again instead.

All of the variants though with the combat blade left arm preclude the addition of the armpit shields and hanging fur strip that I think added alot to the design previously and linked it further back with the historical hussars.  On the right column, I tested out the pistol arm (and back mounted chainsword) as another alternative along with some chest grenades.  The more open left arm would still allow the shield and fur strip even with the grenades although I'll have to check for sure one I finalize the other details.  I like the addition of the extra grenades on the chest on various Deathwatch faction and Reiver figures and I think it fits well with the intended RPG nature of the figure which wouldn't have the full logistical support of an entire company of space marines and therefore need to be outfitted with more gear. 

At the moment I'm leaning towards the bottom far right pose and combination but I'm open to other suggestions.  Obviously I have yet to clean off the sprue connections and mould lines on some parts but they will be done before assembly. 

Summer Hobby Update

It's been a while since I did a full hobby update but I finally have enough to report in.  Over on the tabletop hobby side, I've got a few pots slow cooking on the stove at the moment.  The release of Kill Team for 40k got me a bit excited about the tabletop game universe again.  It's a skirmish level ruleset that you can simply plug and play your existing 40k army figures into.  I've started to parcel out a dozen or two figs from each of my main 40k armies into a separate carrying case to use with Kill Team (and also double as RPG figs as well potentially).   Additionally, I've started to collect some more bits and figures to build a few more of my Winged Hussars custom chapter.  My goal is to have a combat squad of five primaris marines for Kill Team as well as an RPG character model.  While the overall look will remain the same for the Winged Hussars, I will be testing out a few variant bits like shoulder pads and tabards to fine tune the look with the next few figs.

At a recent game store swap meet, I also managed to trade for a two dozen figures (mainly 40k Kill Team figs) that included a few Rafm HG minis.  The big draw for me was a broken mostly complete (no head antenna) Kodiak gear.  I still haven't painted any of my previous HG Rafm conversions from last year but I just couldn't resist getting the original version of the Kodiak to complement the Destroyer Kodiak I built last time.

A while back, I mentioned that I was joining a Starfinder RPG campaign but that fizzled out after two games.  We didn't have a dedicated GM and no one else was interested so I volunteered on a strictly temporary basis.  Unfortunately, the "space fantasy" feel of Starfinder's setting and mechanics wasn't for me.  I wanted a full scifi rpg and it instead felt more like D&D in space.   My offer to transition the group to Star Trek Adventures were unsuccessful as the non-traditional nature of the setting (i.e. not-a-murder-hobo simulator) wasn't as popular as I'd have hoped.

The Wrath and Glory Warhammer 40,000 RPG is coming out soon and I picked up the free introductory adventure.  I'm a bit concerned about the depth of the rules/options in the core book due to the ambitious breadth they're attempting to include.  I can't help but feel the ruleset would have been better served by focusing strictly on Imperial campaigns instead of also adding in barebones chaos and xenos options but I'm leaving final judgement to after actually trying out a session as GM.