Wednesday 23 July 2014

Gaal Massimo, a space merchant WIP #1

After my autosavant, I had to take a break from sculpting, for the sake of my sanity. So, the next miniature will be a simple conversion/kitbash - Gaal Massimo, the space merchant, the old-timer etc.. The model is based on the old WFB Empire engineer (from the steam tank set, as far as I remember). Other parts include those from Cadian guardsmen, Chaos Space Marines and plastic Greatswords (+ some plasticard!).

I'm not yet sure who exactly the model is suppose to represent, but I'm leaning towards such tropes like a space vagabond, a space merchant, a smuggler or a noble scoundrel.



Can you see a small black dot on his forehead? I was messing with the idea that Massimo could be an offspring of some minor house of Navis Nobilite. I have a feeling that a third eye would look great on this semi-bald head! Moreover, while I really like the usual Herbertian background of the Navis Nobilite, I suppose it would be interesting to take a different approach and make a character that may be thought of as a kind of a space merchant, maybe even a sort of 40k Shylock.

Perhaps having failed to get a beneficial deal from official institutions of the Imperium, members of the House Massimo got into trade business and lost their hermetic Navis Nobilite traditions after years of mingling with bankers, smugglers and rogue traders? Maybe they even purposely adopted merchant customs in an effort to blend with their business partners? Or perhaps, it was Gaal himself who turned away from the traditions of his House and the whole Navis Nobilite? Anyway, such a navigator would fit nicely into the inquisitor de Lorme's retinue, methinks.



What do you think about that?

4 comments :

  1. Nice! Looks great so far - as always excellent sculpting!

    The chainfist-thing does look a tad out of place - the rest of the mini reeks of pompousness so a sabre or walking stick might suit him better?

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    Replies
    1. Hey, thanks!
      A sabre and a walking stick are a very obvious choices and this is precisely why I wanted something different, something that would give a kind of bizarre impression.
      What do you think about the navigator idea? Is is worth trying?

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    2. Maybe the chainfist could be made a bit sleeker - give him a gauntlet from which the chainblade juts out - like a punchdagger. i'm just not so fond of the design...

      The navigator idea sounds cool - I say go for it!

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    3. OK, I'm going to think about it once more.
      I could explore the space merchant motive and give him a a purse or a single coin... Or just some kind of gesturing hand.
      Thanks for the help, Jeff!

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