Hi!

Deacon, I'm already queuing up an order for you once the vehicles you've shown become available, if you were to do these "Slann" I would easily drop a couple of grand on such a line.

In other words....



Primarch

They will be made...oh yes, they will be made.

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Thought I'd post some sketches I did recently:


I was inspired by DasBilligeAlien's sketches, and wanted to focus mainly on what these guys might look like. I want to avoid doing humanoid frogs - but something that resembles frogs and or reptiles, yet wholly alien would be perfect imo.

I also wanted facial features that could be embellished, modified, or removed entirely between models to promote different personalities, age, class, or even sex. So I added the "grubs" to the face, which offers all sorts of possibilities stylistically, and can resemble human features which are relatable to the viewer.

I didn't get too deep into the armor design, but honestly, I kept stumbling on trying to incorporate both biological and ancient designs at the same time.

Lastly, I had an idea that the arm cannon should look like no conventional or commonly recognizable armament. In the sketch, you can see the arm "coming apart", with the pieces orbiting around a central energy core of some kind. I'd like to see weaponry designs which defy common weapon concepts...

Oh yeah - we should also come up with a unique name for these guys. While easily usable in Epic, I'd like them to have their own identity and fluff in the Onslaught universe.

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Maybe a bit obvious, but what about "The Spawn"?

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Something more alien I think that has no direct meaning? Maybe some sort of cool aztec or mayan word or something from a dead language...

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Well, the word frog is "Cuiatl" in Aztec, and in Nuhatl (part of the Aztec family of languages) "Citari" means star.

So how about Citrari Cuiatl - star frogs?!

Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue though!

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Obviously the name must have a X in it as having Xs in things makes them sound cool.



I suppose the "grubs" or dangly things on their faces could represent age and therefore standing i.e whoever has the longest tentacle beard is the boss

Before I read your description about the arm cannon I thought of the same thing. The orbiting thing is a good way of showing advanced future tech (though damned if I can find a picture of something like it on google. Now obviously at small scale you might not see much detail, but on the walkers and titan you might have enough room to show the effect.

Matt

Most Aztec words don't ! Picked some up while learning Klingon !

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Ooooo, I like this

XIUHCOATL: Nahuatl unisex name meaning "fire serpent" or "weapon of destruction."
So could call them Xiuhcoatlets?

In Mayan, Tzacol, was the sky god and creator deity. So could call them Tzacolites or Tzacoleens or Tzacolets.

Also like Viracocha
Apparently Viracocha is the great creator god in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America. Viracocha was one of the most important deities in the Inca pantheon and seen as the creator of all things, or the substance from which all things are created, and intimately associated with the sea. Viracocha created the universe, sun, moon, and stars, time (by commanding the sun to move over the sky) and civilization itself.

Just FYI ... Saw these on Shapeways ... They call them some sort of Frog people ...

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Yeah Ive been watching that store for a while. As soon as there's more than just Krogan I've been planning to buy some

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I'll wait for Onslaughts Toadmen !

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

I like "Tzacol" Im assuming thats pronounced "Tah-Coal"? Easy to say, looks cool - and it's meaning is a good match as well.

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Not to derail but the Krogen were 15mm so I was going to have some fun with them in another line of stuff. Anyways back to the topic at hand SLANN!

Personally I'm going to suggest we lean closer to Mayan styles, names, iconography, and concepts than say Aztec simply for the fact that Mayan and Slann more closely resemble each other conceptually. A civilization that had collapsed from it's great heights and achievements and technology vs a people at the height of their power that were defeated and conquered in battle like the Aztecs. Of course this has NOTHING to do with Deacon's work as he's doing Space Frogs that any similarity to IP from a known company in Nottingham is coincidental.

So on the space frogs I really did the nature of as they grow and age they get more nobby things/growths. Not sure how that translates to 6mm models other than the leader sculpts should have larger size with nobby bits on them.

I'm digging that concept sketch as well and the ideas of weird almost magical technology. This would fit themeatically with the idea of a fallen race as well. They've digressed into mystical treatment of their technology. In addition it fits well I feel with some of the recent styles in expressing hyper advanced tech (from our perspective) that are popular right now (see Halo 4 Forerunner tech / Krypton in the new superman film / etc)


Tzah (with the stop) or Tsah if I remember correctly (been 15 years since anthropology )

As an aside, the Mayan creation mythology involved actually 13 deities and super natural beings. I personally would love to align them with Itzamna who is somewhat similar to the Prometheus story. He's the one that taught farming, math, and calendars to the first people. Again, a very nice parallel to the Space Frog mythos.
Oh also it's believed to have a similar root to the word for sorcery or magic too!

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He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
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-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Itzamna sounds good as well.
Maybe mash the two and have Itzacol?