+ inload: Perturabo, the Lord of Iron +

+ Perturabo, the Lord of Iron +

Tell them ruin has come to their world, death, despair and red war...

Tell them their hopes and pride have come to nothing.

Tell them their empty whispers fall upon deaf ears - their gods are dead, human logic has killed them.

Tell them the Angels of Death have come.

Tell them that nothing can save them now

+ The Lord of Iron brooks no dissent; courts no allies; and needs little introduction.... +

+ An interesting and enjoyable piece to work on, this Primarch figure was the culmination of a few months practising painting metal. In a previous inload [+noospheric inloadlink embedded+], I showed you the work in progress and talked through my thoughts on the scheme. I find it very useful to take a break halfway through and assess the paintwork, rather than crack on with it. It helps to put your finger on what is and isn't working. +

+ Adding darker non-metallic areas around the gold helps it to stand out. I used a mix of Charadon Granite and Abaddon Black to avoid pure black (which can look artificial), but kept these areas fairly neutral. Touches of silver ink were added for highlights (particularly on the studs), and a red glow has been added behind the Primarch's head, emanating from the Logos' hood. The other change is Forgebreaker. Initially painted silver and gold like the rest of the figure, I decided to repaint it using more black and white – this helps it stand out and become a focal area; creating a triangle of stronger contrasts along with his forward knee and face. +

+ Sepia ink was used to knock back the brass on the ammunition feeds, and Devlan Mud on the power generator area on his back. This gave it a slightly darker, dirtier look that differentiates it from the brighter silver of his armour. +

+ This shot shows Forgebreaker in more detail; and annoyingly it's now given me the urge to convert and paint a Ferrus Manus. I like the FW figure, but it's not how I picture the Xth Legion Primarch. + 

+ Stark contrasts of black and white, along with a brighter silver, mark the weapon as unassociated with Perturabo. It's worth noting that I've used a pure blue-white on the hammer; the brightest tone on the whole figure (even his eyes are a slightly cream hue). Perturabo may think himself justified in rebelling against the Emperor, but the true purity is obvious. Creating a character and drama through a paint scheme like this is fun and helps make the figure more understandable. In miniature sculpture, where the majority of figures are in martial poses, it's good to hint at something deeper. +

+ Of course, it helps when the background of the figure has sufficient depth and interest that you can make such value judgements. All the Primarchs are fairly monstrous in their world-views; but some, like the bitter Perturabo, are lined up as relatable monsters. You could argue he gets unfairly treated; but equally you could regard him as a psychopath justifying his atrocities. +

+ The sculpt is a lovely one. While I like the display base as a piece in itself, I'm not sure it works for Perturabo – his heavy solidity is at odds with his precarious position on the curved carapace of the downed Knight – and I think I'll hold on to it for another purpose. +

+ The detail on the sculpt is lovely, and he's a real reward to paint. Not much space for freehand, unfortunately, but if you want a centrepiece packed with detail to pick out, you could do much worse than this lovely figure. +

+ It wouldn't be right to end with a pic of him on his own, so here's a shot of him with a few of his troops. +