I suspect that this next picture may illicit rather different reactions from viewers, depending on their age or immersion in Citadel’s history. Whilst oldsters may feel a warm glow of fond recollection newcomers will be more than entitled to raise an eyebrow. It’s a chaos renegade of Tzeentch, dating from the Realm of Chaos era (better known as the ’80s) but beyond that I’m still a little sketchy on its provenance. I remember seeing it many, many moons ago in White Dwarf but which issue now escapes me and in spite of digging back through old issues, and being sidelined by many an interesting article, I’m no clearer. Anyone with a better memory who wants to illuminate me please feel free. Thanks to a combination of my own (slightly fuzzy) memories, and the wisdom of Azazel and the crowd on Twitter, I know it’s a conversion, based on a chaos champion of the same era with pink horror arms. Beyond that however my knowledge is sketchy and I’m not certain who deserves credit for creating it.
Anyway, here it is as it appeared in White Dwarf all those years ago, alongside some equally cool looking models.
And here’s a better image shamelessly borrowed from the blog Realm of Chaos 80’s (which if, for some reason, isn’t on your reading list really ought to be).
It’s certainly a unique miniature, so odd and wrong it shouldn’t work, yet somehow perfectly balanced and beautifully executed (at least to my eye). Regardless of its origins I’ve always had a real soft-spot for it and as I’ve been looking over my Tzeentchian gang again lately (which to my slight horror haven’t really been touched since last July) I realised that this would work perfectly as a champion. Time to take a stab at creating my own.
Consider the cables on his back as WIP for now, they’re going to need some improvements once the greenstuff is properly cured.
My aim was to create a model in the spirit of the original, duplicating as many parts as possible, but built from modern bits (finding Realm of Chaos era models now would be a quest in and of itself and then chopping them would feel like sacrilege to me).
Here he is hanging out with a modern Tzaangor.
And introducing himself to gang he’ll someday lead.
As usual if you’ve got any feedback, or if you know any more about the mysterious origins of the original, the floor is yours.
Convert or Die 
May 4th, 2018 at 9:11 am
Copypasted from the comments on your other post:
Realm of Chaos-era Chaos Champion, from 1989 (Orange) catalogue. Not in 1988 (Blue) catalogue.
021911 (Middle right)
http://www.solegends.com/citcat1989/cat1989p015-00.htm
Plus Pink Horror arms.
http://www.solegends.com/citcat1989/cat1989p023-00.htm
🙂
May 4th, 2018 at 9:12 am
Whoops. Should read the whole thing first instead of skimming!
May 4th, 2018 at 9:14 am
Your version looks pretty cool, though quite different as well. His backpack seems to be tilted? Or it might be a photography angle thing.
May 4th, 2018 at 9:21 pm
Yeah, I wanted to pay homage to the original as closely as possible but still end up with something that would fit into my current collection. Think the angle of the backpack is just a photographic glitch, although the back still needs a bit of work before it’s done so I’ll double check it. Cheers again for the pointers on the models used for the original 🙂
May 4th, 2018 at 10:52 am
In my humble opinion yours is better. The original is errrr ok I guess but a bit too cartoony for my liking. Yours is creepier and more menacing and not cartoony at all. Good choice on bits
May 4th, 2018 at 10:07 pm
Well, the original was a product of its time. I agree it’s very cartoony and doesn’t fit in with the modern “grimdark” aesthetic that I personally prefer – so I guess from that perspective I agree with you, if it was made today I’m not sure I’d like it and I’m glad the prevailing “look” of the 40k universe has progressed in the direction it has. I do wonder however if I’d made my version without the existence of the processor to give it context if it might well have looked too weird to quite work. I’m really glad you like mine better though, after all like covering a song or remaking a movie if you’re not going to put your own spin on it and say something different why do it, otherwise people would just go back to the original.
May 4th, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Great refresh of an OldHammer classic mate – I’ve been lucky enough to see the original, and it is as good in the lead as it is in the pics… Like you say, it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the nostalgia factor is huge… Yours is instantly recognisable , and very well executed – a worthy homage in my humble opinion.
Will you be emulating the original paint job? (just look at all the tiny painted dots – so beautiful!) Also, are you going to reproduce the shoulder guns?
May 4th, 2018 at 10:16 pm
Thank you 😀
I’ll try to include some form of homage to the original paint job (I both love and am deeply intimidated by all those little dots) but I’ll be balancing that against my own skills and style, and making it tie in with the rest of my Tzeentchian gang. After all it needs to work as a model in its own right first and foremost. On that note I’ll also be leaving off the shoulder guns, some things that were acceptable in the 80s just don’t quite work now!
(and yes, I’m a little bit jealous that you’ve seen the original – am I right in thinking it’s on display in the Wargames Foundry shop?)
May 5th, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Sounds like a sound plan mate – can’t wait to see it! Yep, saw it at Bring Out Your Lead at the foundry – Brian does a great job of wowing the attendees with fresh displays each year… any chance of you making it down one year?
May 8th, 2018 at 6:10 am
Honestly it’s one I’d love to go to, I really like the sound of it. Think that this year is completely out though, still far too much to juggle on the real-life side, but who knows – maybe 2019 will be the year that normal service resumes 🙂
May 4th, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Ha, that’s great! So weird. I’d not seen the original before, although the big sucker hands are a common feature amongst the older Tzeentch models. You did a great job on updating it.
May 4th, 2018 at 10:18 pm
Cheers mate 🙂
May 4th, 2018 at 9:43 pm
Gods of Chaos! I haven’t seen this little guy since a long time. I feel a wind of nostalgia now.
You did a great job with your model. You have put so much attention to respect the details of the original. Really impressive!
If am not wrong, we see it in the issue 129 (september 90 – the one with the Inquisitor Draco on cover). But it was first published in the ‘Eavy Metal showcase from Realm of Chaos – The Lost and the Damned. A great model with a pretty paint job for his era.
May 8th, 2018 at 6:19 am
Thank you! Based on your tip I went for a rummage but it seems issue 129 never made it into my collection (unsurprising really – when it was published I was 6 and still a long way from even hearing of Warhammer). I’ll keep an eye out though – there’s some great inspiration in those old issues.
May 4th, 2018 at 10:15 pm
It’s funny at the time that I saw these GW models, back in the day, I thought they were ugly and dumb looking. I wanted my minis to look more realistic and less cartoony. Nowadays though, I think there is some charm to those old models. Especially when I see what painters are doing with them nowadays. If I knew more about the games they are used in, and their background, I’d probably buy some of them. So there’s that.
I think what you did though, is pretty awesome. It’s a really nice homage to the original and looks great beside the rest of the troops in that group shot. Definitely got my interest!
May 8th, 2018 at 6:33 am
Aye, I know what you mean. When that style of models was in vogue I wanted something grittier and darker, and for a long time afterwards I didn’t really get what the oldhammer crowd was seeing in them. It’s only in recent years that I’ve really come to see all the character and power in those models – not just as products of their time but in their own right. Glad you like my homage 🙂
May 9th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
Love that mini as well. It is such a classic and I can spend hours just looking at it. It never seems to get old. Your homage to it works well mate, are you thinking of a similar paint job?
May 9th, 2018 at 7:55 pm
Similar(-ish). I’ll try to go for something that continues the homage to the original but also blends in with my style and the aesthetic of the rest of the gang.
May 22nd, 2018 at 6:55 am
Those look awesome, really like the modern twist on such a retro model.
May 22nd, 2018 at 7:54 am
Thank you! Might try making a few more models based on Realm of Chaos era miniatures at some point – want to get this chap painted first though.
May 22nd, 2018 at 8:49 am
Sound, be ace to see more reimagining’ of classic models. Ace work.