Te Ruku Whakamutu - Braihan Linasei

So, first of all, welcome to my attempt at a blog. Once upon a time, almost two decades ago, I used to post regularly on this website. What started out as random Warhammer miniatures, turned into a Space Sharks blog, then in the end turned into a Tyranids blog, before dying out. 

This is my second attempt at keeping a painter's blog, or as it was known back in the day, a plog. I am too old to know if that's still a thing. Anyway, I have returned to my first true love among all the 1000 of the Emperor's Space Marine Chapters, the Carcharodons Astra, or Space Sharks. 

This first miniature was actually chosen for a newsletter photo-op at my workplace, where we were encouraged to send in photos of our hobbies. I was fresh out of painted miniatures, and decided to try to make a statement with the Leviathan. It truly is a beast of a miniature, and quite possibly one of my favorite of the dreadnoughts. 

Painting him was a blast. So much surface area to cover, to dirty up, lots of nooks and crannies to stain with browns and washes. It took me about two days of painting, to get him all done, exile markings and all. My freehand still isn't the best, and trying to mirror the patterns may have been a mistake, but overall, I think he looks amazing. 

Coming up with names for my characters is always fun, and I decided to come up with something fitting with the Carcharodons lore, in Maori style. Te Ruku Whakamutu means "The Final Descent", which invokes - to me - being dragged into the depths by our beloved namesake, the shark. This ancient veteran has seens thousands of years of combat, slumbering between battles until he is needed once more. Before his entering of the sarcophagus, this warrior was known as Braihan Linasei.

I had a lot of fun together with a colleague and friend, who introduced me to the art of airbrushing. I wanted some glow effects on the Grav Flux Bombards, as well as the Volkite Calivers. He also has what appear to be little spotlights along his front armor, so some OSL was needed there as well. This was my first proper foray into using an airbrush, though if I'm honest my friend did most of it, being the more experienced airbrusher. I am stoked with how he looks, and I hope these photos do Te Ruku Whakamutu justice.

- Alcador