After an absence of nearly 30 years, the release of the Leagues of Votann reintroduces a fully updated lost branch of humanity to the nightmare future of the 41st millennium. In their former incarnation, the 'Squats' drew heavy influences from both fantasy dwarves and biker gangs with bushy bearded, leather and sunglasses-clad warriors of stout stature riding balloon tired bikes and trikes about the galaxy in pursuit of resources, defending their underground holds from foes and holding grudges against just about everyone for just about everything.
The Leagues of Votann range retains some of the older archetypes of the Squats, but brings a fresh new 'higher-tech' look to everything from the armoured void-suits of the infantry to the hoverbikes of the Hernkyn Pioneers. While the exact point of their divergence from humanity is unknown, the common ancestry is evident in much of the technology and weaponry of the Leagues as they took Standard Template Constructs with them when they took to the stars, but where ignorance and dogma have led to the stagnation and decline of technology in the Imperium, the Leagues of Votann have maintained not just the capability to produce marvels of engineering but the capacity to innovate and improve them as well.
To get best use out of this guide, you'll need to have a little bit of painting knowledge already as it makes use of a couple of more advanced techniques, but as a quick note; glazing is using a diluted paint to apply a tint to an existing colour. Stippling is using the brush to apply paint in a 'stabbing' motion so as to create or accentuate texture.
Once the matt varnish had cured, I used Rhinox Hide to add some chips and scrapes to the edges of the orange and white panels of the voidsuit armour, though did this very sparingly as I envisage the Leagues taking very good care of their wargear even when on campaign.
Once this was done, I painted the rocks with Dawnstone and shaded them with Agrax Earthshade. Then using thinned Dawnstone, I painted some thin streaks across the flat surfaces to create before using the same thinned paint to highlight the edges of each rock. Then using some thinned Administratum Grey, I refined the edges and some of the striations on the faces before using Grey Seer very sparingly to add some final highlights on the edges. To add a little more tonal varation and ‘realism’ to the rocks, I thinned down some Athonian Camoshade to create a glaze and applied it to a couple of areas to help create the impression that theres moss or lichen growing there, or the rocks have been stained and weathered by their environment.
To give the impression that it’s been there a while, but not quite long enough to be bleached, I went for a yellowed bone for the Ork’s skull which was started with a basecoat of Morghast Bone - this takes a couple of thin layers get a consistent colour, but it’s much, much better than Zandri Dust for this. Once the basecoat was in place, Agrax Earthshade was painted directly into the eye sockets and nasal cavity and once that had dried, the whole skull was shaded with Seraphim Sepia. I thinned some Morghast Bone and layered it onto the skull before adding highlights using Ushabti Bone followed by Screaming Skull. To finish things off, I applied a glaze of Dryad Bark to the areas of the skull nearest the ground to help to bed it into the base and then glazed a little Morghast Bone in a couple of a places that I’d taken the highlights a little too high. I then added some tufts, painted the rim of the base with Abaddon Black and with that the Hearthkyn Warrior was complete.
Like the Mirefolk Outcast, the Hearthkyn Warrior comes on a single frame and is incredibly easy to clean up and assemble, you might want to use tweezers when attaching the pouch and grenade (part 10) to the back of the belt as they're very small - this is an optional part though so you don't need to add it on. Interestingly, while there isn't one included on the sprue, you could use a bare head from any of the other Leagues of Votann infantry kits in place of the fully enclosed visor if you wanted to. This particular Hearthkyn is armed with an Autoch-pattern Bolter and has complemented their already formidable combat capabilities with augmetic limbs.
The Hearthkyn assembled and based and ready for priming. As the Leagues originally hail from the galactic core, I thought the skull of one of their oldest enemies would make an appropriate addition to the base. The skull and slate chips were glued in place after the miniature was attached to the base and then texture paint was applied around the feet, slate and skull.
"Many of the Prospects that voyage deep into 'Far-space' hail from the Trans-Hyperian Alliance for they are the furthest travelled of the Leagues. Clad in distinctive orange void armour, the Kindreds of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance are filled with adventurers and explorers who are dedicated to the enrichment of their Votann. To this end, many of them dwell upon nomadic fleets that are ever mobile as they strive to discover what wonders lie in the darkness beyond the edges of maps."
Encounters with the Kyn c.M39
After poring over the artwork and previews of the Leagues of Votann minis, as well as the taking a look at some of the fantastic work that review painters have been showing off, I decided to paint this Hearthkyn Warrior in the colours of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance.
While most of the subfactions shown off in the codex have quite cool colour schemes, I particularly like the bold orange and white heraldry of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance, for me it really suits the 'voidfaring explorers' vibe of the Leagues of Votann, invoking memories of the designs of 'near future' spacesuits seen in films like The Martian - plus orange isn't a colour often seen on miniatures, so it seemed like a good choice to focus on for this Masterclass.
Despite being a small miniature, there are quite a lot more colours used than in the previous Masterclass articles I've done, so to try and break things down a bit so it's easier to follow, I've divided the rest of this tutorial into four sections: The Void Suit, Metallic Areas, Other Details and finally, Basing and Finishing Touches.
The Void Suit
- Fabric
The fabric of the voidsuit was basecoated with Mechanicus Standard Grey before being shaded with Nuln Oil. Thinned Mechanicus Standard Grey was then used to sketch in where the highlights would go to help create a smoother transition between the colours - this is particularly useful for the back of the model where more of the fabric of the suit is visible. Using thinned Dawnstone, I then highlighted all of the prominent folds and seams of the suit as wells as adding some subtle scrapes to the flatter areas of the suit. Adminstratrum Grey was then used very selectively to push some of the highlights on the upper areas of the suit a little higher.- Orange Armour
To create the bright orange that distinguishes the Kin of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance from their fellows, I started with Jokaero Orange - this was applied in thin layers to achieve a smooth and even basecoat which was then shaded with Fuegan Orange - apply this sparingly as you want to avoid it pooling heavily on any of the flat areas of the armour. Once the shade had fully dried, I layered the armour plates with Troll Slayer Orange.There’s no two ways about this, it will take a few thinned layers to get a smooth finish to this stage, but it’s worth taking your time to get finish you’re happy with. You might find that you catch some of the rivets and recessed details as you’re doing this, but if you do then it’s no problem at all as you can carefully re-shared them using a little Fuegan Orange.
Once the armour is was all layered up, All of the edges and the rivets were highlighted with Fire Dragon Bright before the rivets and some of the hard corners of the armour panels were picked out with Bestigor Flesh.
Once the armour is was all layered up, All of the edges and the rivets were highlighted with Fire Dragon Bright before the rivets and some of the hard corners of the armour panels were picked out with Bestigor Flesh.
- White Details
While you could definitely add the white to the armour after painting everything orange, I decided to mark out the areas I wanted to be white from the beginning with a basecoat of Celestra Grey. As a part of the Citadel ‘Base’ range, this paint gives good coverage but is quite thick, so you will need to thin it a little to get a smooth finish, which is especially important with lighter colours like white. With the basecoat established, I thinned some Ulthuan Grey and basically kept adding layers until I had a smooth off-white. The final few of these layers were thinned to around the consistency of milk to avoid any bobbling or streaking of the paint. Once I had a finish I was happy with, I thinned a little Celestra Grey and carefully painted it around the rivets on the kneepad to define them before picking them and the edges of the white areas out with White Scar.- Helmet Visor
Inspired by the design of contemporary space suit helmets, I decided to go with a gold coating on the visor so the Hearthkyn wouldn’t have to worry about eye damage from all the pesky electromagnetic radiation churning about in the void. To achieve a nice, bright, ‘colder’ gold, I started with a couple of thin layers of Retributor Armour to establish a smooth basecoat, which I then shaded with Agrax Earthshade. I then used thinned Skullcrusher Brass to gradually brighten the upper areas of the visor as well as highlighting all of the hard edges of the visor panels. The edges were then picked out with a final highlight of Stormhost Silver.- Chest Lamp
Designed with practicality in mind, the plastron of the Hearthkyn’s voidsuit incorporates a lamp so that whether exploring the vacuum of Farspace or plumbing the depths of a subterranean ore deposit, the Kin will be able to see without their hands being encombered. Although the lamp is mostly hidden behind the boltgun, I thought it was worth taking a little time to pick this detail on the suit out. I started off by applying a basecoat of Averland Sunset which I then carefully shaded with Cassendora Yellow. I then sketched in an initial highlight with Averland Sunset which I refined with Yriel Yellow, followed by Bad Moon Yellow and then finally Dorn Yellow.
Boots, Elbow Pads and Under Gloves
I wanted to give the appearance that these were made from some form of heavy duty rubber-like material as they would need to be hard wearing, so after a basecoat of Abaddon Black, I picked out the edges with highlights of Dark Reaper. This initial highlight was then followed by a more select application of Thunderhawk Blue on the areas which would catch the most light.Gloves and ‘Gators’
The outer protective coverings of the gloves and boots (which whether they are or not, I’ve tagged as being ‘gators’) received a basecoat of Mournfang Brown which was then shaded with Agrax Earthshade. Once this was completely dry, I reapplied Mournfang Brown to the raised areas to give a smooth tan base to the leather, before highlighting them using Skrag Brown. I then used a little Deathclaw Brown to refine the highlights, focusing on the edges of the raised areas, especially those which would catch the most light.Metallic Areas
Silver Metal Areas (Boltgun, Backpack and Cable Ports)
A basecoat of Iron Warriors was applied in a couple of thinned layers to get an even coverage. This was then shaded with Nuln Oil and once the shade had dried, the edges were carefully picked out with Ironbreaker.Backpack pipes and sides
A basecoat of Warplock Bronze was shaded with Agrax Earthshade. I then applied a couple of thin layers of Brass Scorpion, focusing the second layer to the upper half and edges of the circular side panels of the backpack. For the pipes, the Brass Scorpion was applied to the upper ‘half’ of each pipe so that the shaded Warplock Bronze would remain visible on the lower half. To finish things off, I used Canoptek Alloy to add some final highlights to the edges of the side panels and corners in the pipes.Bolter Ammunition Casings
A quick basecoat of Balthasar Gold was shaded with Agrax Earth before being highlighted with a little Hashut Copper.
Other Details
Belt, Holster and Pouches
To get a nice cream canvas that would contrast with the grey and orange of the voidsuit, I started with a basecoat of Rakarth Flesh. I then applied a shade of Agrax Earthshade, being careful to avoid letting it pool on the flat areas of the canvas. Once this had dried, I reapplied Rakarth Flesh to the edges of the belt, pouches and holster before using Pallid Wych Flesh to refine the highlights, paying particular attention to the corners and edges that would naturally have a little more wear and tear from use.Bolter Casing and Backpack
I painted the casings of the bolter and the backpack using one of my favourite colour recipes - I’m not sure why it’s a favourite, but I’ve a feeling it’s something to do with edge highlighting being strangely theraputic.To get a smooth initial basecoat, I started out with a few layers of thinned Abaddon Black. Once this is in place, an initial highlight was applied to all of the hard edges using Dark Reaper. These were then refined by applying a highlight of Thunderhawk Blue to the edges which would naturally catch the most light. To finish things of, Fenrisian Grey was used to pick out all the rivets and to highlight the corners of the bolter casing.
Non-slip Pistol Grip
To add a little more colour to the pistol grip, I picked out the non-slip area with Khorne Red which I shaded with a little Nuln Oil. I then reapplied Khorne Red to the upper areas of the diamond pattern before highlighting with Wazdakka Red followed by Squig Orange.
Gravitic Grenade Casing
I wanted to differentiate the grenade from the other black areas of the model a little and the easiest way to do that was to use a different set of tones for the highlights, so after painting the casing Abaddon Black, I highlighted all the edges of the casing with Skavenblight Dinge before refining them a little with some Stormvermin Fur on the corners and upper edges of the casing.Lights, Buttons and Sensor Lenses
The buttons and sensor screens on the gauntlet as well as the status indicators on the backpack were all done at the same time with the blue ones being basecoated with Sotek Green and the red with Khorne Red before both were shaded with Nuln Oil. Once this was dry, the blue was highlighted with Sotek Green, followed by Ahriman Blue then Temple Guard Blue. The red was highlighted first with Khorne Red, then Wazdakka Red and finally Squig Orange. When painting these highlights, you want to focus them on the upper side of the surface you’re applying them to. To finish everything off, a fine dot of Pallid Wych Flesh was added to the corners opposite the highlights to create the impression that light was reflecting from the surfaces.
Applying Decals and Weathering
Before applying the decals, I painted the areas where I would be adding them with gloss varnish as this helps protect the paint where you’re working as well as to conceal the glossy backing of the designs and minimise the risk of the decal ‘frosting’. With the areas prepped, I applied the decals I’d selected, in this case the marking of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance for the right shoulder, a numeric designation for the left shoulder and a pair of pieces of knotwork for the bolter casing, taking my time to ensure I was happy with the positioning of them before dabbing any residual water from them with a cotton bud. Once they were secured, I used a little Microsol to soften them so they would sit more naturally, (this was only really needed for the ones on the shoulders, but from habit I just applied it to all of them) and once this had cured, I sealed them with gloss varnish before using matt varnish to remove the shine from the gloss and finish them off.Once the matt varnish had cured, I used Rhinox Hide to add some chips and scrapes to the edges of the orange and white panels of the voidsuit armour, though did this very sparingly as I envisage the Leagues taking very good care of their wargear even when on campaign.
Basing and Finishing Touches
The base consists of three main elements, the soil, the Ork skull and a couple of small rocks. As the soil is the ‘messiest’ stage, I started with that first. Beginning with a few carefully applied layers of Dryad Bark to establish a basetone, I drybrushed the soil with Gorthor Brown, then Baneblade Brown and finally very lightly with Karak Stone.Once this was done, I painted the rocks with Dawnstone and shaded them with Agrax Earthshade. Then using thinned Dawnstone, I painted some thin streaks across the flat surfaces to create before using the same thinned paint to highlight the edges of each rock. Then using some thinned Administratum Grey, I refined the edges and some of the striations on the faces before using Grey Seer very sparingly to add some final highlights on the edges. To add a little more tonal varation and ‘realism’ to the rocks, I thinned down some Athonian Camoshade to create a glaze and applied it to a couple of areas to help create the impression that theres moss or lichen growing there, or the rocks have been stained and weathered by their environment.
To give the impression that it’s been there a while, but not quite long enough to be bleached, I went for a yellowed bone for the Ork’s skull which was started with a basecoat of Morghast Bone - this takes a couple of thin layers get a consistent colour, but it’s much, much better than Zandri Dust for this. Once the basecoat was in place, Agrax Earthshade was painted directly into the eye sockets and nasal cavity and once that had dried, the whole skull was shaded with Seraphim Sepia. I thinned some Morghast Bone and layered it onto the skull before adding highlights using Ushabti Bone followed by Screaming Skull. To finish things off, I applied a glaze of Dryad Bark to the areas of the skull nearest the ground to help to bed it into the base and then glazed a little Morghast Bone in a couple of a places that I’d taken the highlights a little too high. I then added some tufts, painted the rim of the base with Abaddon Black and with that the Hearthkyn Warrior was complete.
This is quite a long and involving paint scheme, with a lot of jumping between areas and colours unlike the Warrior of Minas Tirith or Mirefolk Outcast and while I’m not sure I’d recommend painting a whole army up like this, I think you’d have an absolutely stunning force if you did.
I hope you found this Miniature of the Month Masterclass useful and as always, until next time, thanks for reading.
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