Korak, Knight the Crimson Shroud

In this post we'll take a look at how I converted Korak into a model befitting his new status as general:

 

A basic wraith isn't really useful for much on the battlefield, so Korak needed an upgrade to one of the mounted wraith heroes. Reikenor the Grimhailer served as the main component. Initially, I considered making a Dreadblade Harrow version of Korak, which would have included Reikenor's horse as well, but settled on a Knight of Shrouds. (I may still make a Harrow version of Korak, though, because a Dreadblade Harrow general offers some teleport-and-strike opportunities that a Knight of Shrouds does not.)

 

 

The basis for the new model was the Knight of Shrouds' ethereal steed, and Reikenor's body and horse barding. I swapped out Reikenor's face for a classic skeleton skull. This is the same skull I've used on each version of Korak, to keep his look consistent.

 

 

No real work was done to the horse other than to putty the seams.

 

 

I did, however, need to shave down the horse's shoulders a little to facilitate the fit of the armor. I removed all the "curls" on the armor trim and repaired those cuts with sculpted chainmail.

 

 

Next, I sculpted a belt and buckles around the horse's neck to attach the barding.

 

 

Then it was time to work on Korak himself. I wanted to fill out his robes a little, so I took bits from a Guardian of Souls and the mounted Knight of Shrouds and pieced them together to create another layer, and smoothed everything over with putty.

 

With the basic shapes of the model finalized, I fit the rider to the horse.

 

To get solid attachment points, I added some putty and pressed the rider's robes into it to create a divot that the robe could be glued into after painting.

 

I replaced the ethereal arms with skeletal arms taken from some classic Tomb Kings skeletons.

 

Rather than a sword, Korak bears a Scythe of Stolen Hours. The blue bits are what remains from Reikenor's scythe. The handle was replaced with a plastic weapon haft with a metal wire inserted along its length. The wire allowed me to bend the piece and create a curve, and helped pin everything together. An ethereal trail, taken from the Mortis engine, was added to the top, and two hourglasses hang from chains.

 

The final bit was to add his left arm, which is pinned into the hand holding the reins. Here's the model with its assembly completed:

 

I painted Korak in about three days, with a 4th day for final assembly, Dull Cote, and adding static grass. Now he's ready to take the battlefield and lead the Congregation of the Crimson Shroud to victory!

 

'Til next time!