First things first: let me get my excuses out of the way. This blog has been quiet lately and its probably going to stay that way for the next little while. I’ve not managed to comment on other people’s blogs very much either, although I have been reading them when I got the chance. My wife and I moved house at the start of December (well, I did the moving – she directed) and almost as soon as the last box was carried through the door our daughter was born (mum and baby doing very well thanks). She’s wriggly, healthy, tiring, wonderful and can shout for Scotland.
Needless to say building and painting miniatures just isn’t something I’ve been doing and won’t be for a while either I suspect. However I do have a bunch of models that I painted back in November (which seems like a long, long time ago now) and never got around to posting so prepare to feast your eyes.
Anyway, to no-one’s surprise I’ve gone and joined a cult. Well they all said it would happen one day… In this case it’s the chaos cult that lurks in the twisting halls of the Blackstone Fortress. I actually painted these a while ago but I’m just getting around to posting them now.
Leading the mob of insane faithful we have this cultist firebrand, ready with his flamethrower to give civilisation a helping hand if it doesn’t collapse quickly enough by itself!
I got so carried away painting the cultists from the Blackstone Fortress set that I even painted a couple of new ones from the recently released kit.
Much like the new Ork boys I really like these models but it’s a damn shame they’re not easier to kitbash, or at least come with a couple of alternative builds.
Anyway, with these done I now have a mighty mob ready to harass adventurers and treasure-seekers in the Blackstone Fortress, cause trouble in the Necromundan underhive or catch some bullets for their chaos marine overlords.
Plus, with the addition of the adventurers I painted a while ago, this means the entire Escalation expansion set for Blackstone Fortress is complete.
This will undoubtedly be my last post of the year, although I’ll try to put together a round up, but not a bad place to end things all things considered. Who knows, next year I might even get Blackstone Fortress finished entirely.
Convert or Die 
December 20th, 2022 at 7:12 am
Nice work here. There’s nothing like new kids or moving house to interrupt the hobby schedule, and you have both! Good luck, and I will look forward to seeing some new miniatures when you get the chance.
December 24th, 2022 at 8:59 pm
Thank you! Oh yeah, between taking time off for the move, then paternity leave and now Christmas I’ve had more back-to-back time away from work lately than I have in my entire life – and yet I’ve not so much as unpacked my paints, let alone worked on any models. I do have a few things in the “damn near finished” pile though that I set aside so hopefully I’ll manage five minutes here and five minutes there over the next few weeks to get to work on them.
December 20th, 2022 at 8:50 am
Congratulations on the daughter! Believe me they are a lot of work (I have two) but things will settle into a routine (of endless work 😅) and you’ll be able to carve out some hobby time. Both you and the Mrs will need down time and I find the Hobby is perfect escapism from the realities of fatherhood! Congratulations again though, and enjoy your first Christmas with your daughter:D
December 24th, 2022 at 9:04 pm
Thank you! Oh yeah, she’s masses of work – she’s not the size of tupence but she’s got me working myself to the bone already! She’s also wonderful though – even when she’s shouting, pooping, shouting again, attempting – and failing – to extract breast milk from my eye or any of the other things the little scamp gets up to. And yeah, once we’re back into a routine I’m hopeful I’ll get plenty more painting done – like you I’ve always found the hobby to be a good “off” switch when I need a quick recharge. Merry Christmas! 🙂
December 20th, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Lovely job mate, and congratulations!! Enjoy every minute, these are special times and us boring old farts will still be here when you get the chance 😊
December 24th, 2022 at 9:06 pm
Cheers bud! These really are amazing times – worth staying awake to enjoy every moment (at least, I think that’s what the little one is trying to tell me at 2am…). Happy Christmas to you and yours mate! 🙂
December 20th, 2022 at 12:31 pm
Hope the move went smoothly, and congratulations on the birth of your child, Hope you and the family have a wonderful Christmas.
The models look great, and ready to cause some Chaos.
December 24th, 2022 at 9:12 pm
Thank you on both counts Dave! The move actually went remarkably smoothly given everything else that was going on and I’ve got myself a nice little space in the new place squared away for the hobby. My old mountain of sprues, paint pots, knives, greenstuff, glue and other paraphernalia may have had to undergo a bit of a tidy (can’t have that sitting around when there’s going to be a toddler in the house soon enough!) but I reckon if I put my mind to it I can learn the art of painting miniatures without being horrendously disorganised. I guess soon we’ll find out! 😀
December 21st, 2022 at 3:26 am
Congratulations! And outstanding work on the cultists. Great set of models.
December 24th, 2022 at 9:14 pm
Thank you – and merry Christmas! 🙂
December 31st, 2022 at 11:46 am
Merry belated Christmas! Hope it was a good one.
December 21st, 2022 at 3:45 am
Congratulations though if you didn’t name your daughter, Wudugast the II, then I’ll be disappointed 😉 Take all the time you need as I can only imagine that hobbying time will be at a real premium for a while.
More importantly, the cultists look great. I really like these sculpts and it is great that you got an expansion for Blackstone Fortress done too. It is always nice to hit milestones like that.
December 24th, 2022 at 9:24 pm
Thanks mate! I did suggest Wudugast the Second as her name but my wife overruled me so in the end we just grabbed some dice and rolled on one of those naming tables you get in the 40k codexes. Using the Ork’s codex was my idea though – and a damn inspired choice it turned out to be too!
Glad you like the cultists, trying to knock out specific targets like that has been the name of the game lately and I suspect it’s going to be even more key as and when I find myself some hobby time in the months to come. 🙂
December 27th, 2022 at 3:14 am
Haha, Da Big Boss has a nice ring to it, now that you mention it! 😉
December 27th, 2022 at 11:58 am
She’s certainly the one in charge! 😅
December 21st, 2022 at 7:04 am
Great work on the figures mate but more importantly congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Your life will change forever but it will be worth it I’m sure. Have a great Christmas and New Year. 🙂
December 29th, 2022 at 6:53 pm
Thank you! Oh yeah, life is changed entirely – free time is a thing of the past (even replying to comments on this blog needs to be carefully scheduled!) and she’s already got me wrapped round her little finger. Mind you, I wouldn’t change a thing – and I’m determined to find a way to get time for painting back by no later than 2028! Hope you had a super Christmas – and happy New Year when it comes mate!
December 21st, 2022 at 9:06 pm
So nice to have some good news (the birth of your daughter, not that you won’t be posting so much)! And with a house move accomplished as well! Hope you’re all safe and well and enjoy Christmas! Very nice minis, as always! 🙂
January 4th, 2023 at 11:54 am
Thank you – and excuse the belated response! Yes, we had a cracking Christmas thanks, very relaxed with not much rushing around as you can imagine but a great chance for us all to spend some time together. The new place is pretty much unpacked now as well, and most importantly a hobby space is claimed and set up!
As for me not posting so much I’m sure that’ll count as good news for some – in fact people round our way were so pleased that a few nights ago they were out partying, dancing in the street and setting off fireworks! Of course my family are now saying if only they can get me to stop talking nonsense in real life as well that’ll really be cause for celebration!
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:01 am
Great looking minis, but more importantly “Welcome to Fatherhood!”. You will never get a decent amount asleep ever again, you never get a sick day, and good luck with even taking a bathroom break! Haha! On the plus side, all of that will barely matter when you hear your little one coo, laugh, and giggle. My daughter is 7 now, and hearing her laugh still melts my heart. As for minis, once she gets a routine nap time going, you will likely find your window of opportunity for painting. Also when my little one got a bit older, I used to let her play with some (unopened) paint bottle and a brush. She would pretend paint minis and keep her occupied for a few minutes while I worked on mine. Things will change for sure, but you’ll all adjust. 🙂
January 4th, 2023 at 12:21 pm
Haha – thank you very much mate! She’s caused some big changes for sure but we’re learning every day and getting into the swing of things. Adding the house move on top certainly added a whole other level of disruption but, as Tzeentch would tell you, a change is a good as a rest and it’s all proved to be extremely worthwhile. Soon enough we’ll have a new routine figured out and a balance will be struck between the things we used to enjoy and all the new things we’re enjoying – just in time for summer to come and my work to go completely bananas again! :-p
January 6th, 2023 at 6:56 pm
Well, I hope you’re hanging in there guy! We coupled a house move with our youngest being born too. It was a crazy time for sure. The thing I remember the most though was just the utter lack of sleep and how I somehow managed to still make it through the day! Fatherhood! 😀
December 23rd, 2022 at 4:49 pm
Congratulations on your daughter’s birth.
Great cultists too.
Cheers,
Pete.
December 24th, 2022 at 9:17 pm
Thank you very much on both counts Pete! 🙂
December 24th, 2022 at 9:55 am
Oh mate! brilliant news, nothing like a baby to to keep you occupied and upsetting the routine!! I hope your dear wife is strapped in for a very long haul! our two girls are a constant handful and they are both in their late twenties!!!
Have a great Xmas and a ripping New Year!!
December 24th, 2022 at 9:17 pm
Cheers Pat! Funnily enough I was having this exact conversation with a chap in the queue in our local supermarket today. We’d both been sent out by our wives to struggle round the shops on Christmas eve in order to pick things up for our daughters – it’s just that mine is two weeks old and his is 30!! Merry Christmas to you and the whole family mate!
December 24th, 2022 at 9:17 pm
😅😅😅👍🏻
December 24th, 2022 at 1:36 pm
If I recall right, the new cultist design is based on one or two of Blanche’s old sketches; yours fit right into that look with all of their red’n’grime. Congratuations, and all the best for your newly formed family unit!
January 4th, 2023 at 12:39 pm
Thank you! I think I remember that sketch now you mention it, as I recall it’s a good one and undoubtedly one that will have at least subconsciously influenced me when I was working on these. 🙂
December 31st, 2022 at 7:55 am
Congratulations on the little one! They are time vampires – but definitely worth it. Wishing your family all the best with the sleepless nights! ❤️
January 4th, 2023 at 11:56 am
Thank you very much! She is indeed gobbling up every scrap of time I can find, but in the best possible way. As for sleeping I think I remember doing that but it was a long, long time ago now… 😉
January 4th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
Congratulations on becoming a parent, it’s great but hard work at times. Amazing work on the cult!
January 4th, 2023 at 12:28 pm
Cheers on both counts mate! 😎