The Vostroyans are a unique and dynamic Imperial Guard force, and they captured the imagination of the Games Workshop US staff member, Len Sullivan. An avid Warhammer 40,000 hobbyist and an Imperial Guard collector, Len could not help but volunteer to paint the new Vostroyan Colonel model to look like Lord Marshal Graf Harazahn for the Medusa V website. Here's what Len had to say about his thinking for this model:

Len: The model has a lot of character, and that always appeals to me. However, like most Imperial Guard forces, sometimes it can be difficult to identify the command squad on the field of battle among so many Guardsmen. Thus, I chose to put Harazahn on a larger base to raise him up above his troops. It fits the miniature's pose, and it stresses his "Move out!" attitude!

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HOW'D HE DO THAT?

Harazahn's Face. This is extremely difficult to get to, especially with the raised collar and low hat. Therefore, I started with the face, since any mistakes made on the hat or armour while working on the face could be repainted. I based the face with Scorched Brown and then painted Dwarf Flesh over it. Next, I mixed Dwarf Flesh and Elf Flesh for the first highlight followed by a final highlight of Elf Flesh. For the hat, I began with straight Scorched Brown. Then, I continually lightened it with Bleached Bone to add successive highlights, until I was up to a final highlight of Bleached Bone.

Harazahn's Armour. I drybrushed Harazahn's armour with Tin Bitz and then Brazen Brass, with a final highlight mix of Mithril Silver and Brazen Brass. It's important to mix only a bit of Mithril Silver in at this point, because you don't want to overpower the 'bronzed' look. I touched up the symbols and engravings on the armour by applying black washes lightly in the creases. I wanted a unique trim for the armour, so I began these areas with Camo Green, which I successively lightened with Rotting Flesh.

Harazahn's Medals. I had a lot of fun painting his medals and decorations, and I found them to be a breeze. I wanted them in contrast to the dark bronze armour, so I choose a Chainmail/Mithril Silver mix that made them really pop out above the armour. The gems also needed to stand out, so I painted them Dark Angels Green, which I then lightened with Goblin Green and Scorpion Green. A final dot of Skull White in the upper left hand corner of the gem provides a nice glare to the gem.

Harazahn's Coat Interior. To separate the back of the coat from the interior, I chose a Skull White lining. Within the lining, I basecoated Red Gore and then added in Blood Red to add successive layers to lighten the colour. I used a very deep red wash (Red Gore mixed with a small amount of Chaos Black and a lot of water) to add depth to the patterns in the edges of the cloak.

Harazahn's Jacket. Starting with a Chaos Black base, I continually drybrushed layers of Scorched Brown over the surface, with a lighter version of the color each time. I wanted to continue the Red Gore/Blood Red motif in the model, so I also gave the piping on the jacket the same treatment as I had done for the interior lining.

Harazahn's Base. I wanted Harazahn to stand higher than the rest of my Imperial Guard army, so I used rocks and pebbles to build up his base. I filled in the gaps with Green Stuff, and then flocked the base with several different grain-sizes of sand to get a rocky feel. Then, I painted the larger rocks in a different colour than the smaller ones to provide some depth to the base. To finish, I flocked with an autumnal mix of static grass and a bit of snow flock (mixed with white PVA glue and water).

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Vostroyan Modelling Workshop | Vostroyan Colour Schemes

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