Illuminor Szeras. Commission Piece.

“The secrets of the universe are within my grasp, wrapped in the meat, encoded in your soul.”

Szeras Architect of biotransference.

Szeras is one of the most reviled beings in the galaxy – a being in which an entire race placed its trust. It was this creature that made biotransference possible, supplanting the living soul into living metal. Condemned by the genius of the Illuminor and the hideous urges of the star gods, Szeras would be shepherd the Necrontyr into an eternity of restless undeath.

I write this on the eve of 9th edition Warhammer 40k. I can’t help but be a little nostalgic. I was introduced to the game in 2nd, marveling at the metal sculpts, needing to own Marneus Calgar, Dante, Yarrick. What would I think of these new models today if my 10 year old self could see them?

This piece is a wonderful example of what can be done with digital sculpting. It’s a puzzle piece, both in assembly and painting. The model assembles well and instantly has gravitas, arrogantly bestriding the battlefield. The model tells a story. It’s a mini vignette. I dig that.

Painting the model presented a few challenges. I don’t think I would have been able to hit all the details I was able to without Redgrass Games miniature holder. You’ll see for yourself in the tutorial (link below). Each piece of the miniature is a puzzle piece – a collection of shapes, that when flattened and taken in isolation make for a satisfying project to test your brush against. The arms, for example, become cylinders. How to we paint the cylinders to give them dimension? How light do we make the highlight? Where do we place the OSL?

A cooler palette was ultimately decided for the piece (I toyed with the idea of replacing green with orange) where the only saturated colour would come from the emerald glow. You’ll notice how your eye is drawn to the weapon and the head, the rest of the miniature acting as a muted framework.

Seeing the Necron range unfold has given me hope to see what other races will get a relaunch. Imagine Eldar in wraithbone armour that looks like it’s been grown rather than machined? Or Dark Mech? Or Squats?

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