Converting and painting Chaos Cultists

These Cultists have seen action in times past. I decided to paint them up inspired by the Gaunt's Ghosts novel 'Honor Guard', which features Chaos forces calling themselves the Infardi and wearing green robes.

Preparation

Mount the cultists on their bases, glue on some rubble, then fill out using Stirland Battlemire.

Now these were originally a batch of identical pairs of models. I decided on some conversions to have them all be unique.

Conversions

First guy gets some superglued chains around his arms.

Second guy gets a new head. Snip off the head, replace with a ball of green stuff.

Push in a helmeted head - from the Bloodreavers kit, I think.

Use a silicone tool to smooth out the transition, making some cloth-like folds.

Here they are - the head makes a big difference.

Next up, I made a patch of chainmail using a GreenStuffWorld mold. Next time will be better, but it came out pretty well considering I had no idea what I was doing. Tips: place the green stuff in the mold, push it in using wet fingers, place baking paper on it, then smooth it out with a rolling pin. I skipped the baking paper, and so the rolling pin pulled it out. I got it off, but the texture became stretched in places.

After about 30 minutes (hint: leave it more), I cut it up and stuck in on minis. Check out this chainmail mini-cloak.

Same on the final guy.

The green stuff was a bit more hardened when I put it here and it came out flared - I left it like that.

Painting

Prime Wraithbone. Apply Contrast paint basecoats.

Apply some painting tip highlights:

• Medium skintone (Contrast)
• Light leather (Contrast)
• Medium leather (Contrast)
• Bone (Contrast) (horned helm)
• Shiny black (leather helms)
• Filthy cloth

And of course this guy wearing a skin mask, so I made the skin patches medium skintone, pale skintone and dark skin for variety. Chaos hates everyone equally!

Finally, I initially just wanted to highlight the Ork Flesh using Scorpy Green, but then I decided to line it using Dark Angels Green as well.

Basecoat the metallic parts as well with Basilicanum Grey/Nazdreg Yellow, then apply metallic painting tips:

• on the silver metalics, alternate Rusty metal / regular silver / same but with Agrax Earthshade instead of Nuln Oil
• bronze tanks: Hammered Copper, Reikland Fleshshade Glodd, Bright Bronze highlights

Two guys with trimmed shoulderpads get to emulate their Chaos Marine masters.

Any gas mask lenses are Blood for the Blood God! over Silver. Any amulets are Soulstone Blue over Silver.

Basing

Paint up the base:

• Painting marble
• Painting cobblestone (Contrast base)

Finished!