15mm Sci Fi - Khurasan Soriog

 The Soriogs from Khurasan have been on my to do list for a long time.  This past month I finally managed to complete them, but not in the way I had planned.

Originally I had the idea of doing them in a traditional Fire Warrior Tau scheme.  However, this went out the window when I saw how huge they were.  Soriog tower over 15mm human figures.  They could easily fit into 20mm games, or even 25mm Stargrunt games.  

15mm Scale Figures: Laserburn Imperial Trooper, GZG Colonist, GZG Brazilian Rifleman, GZG Ixx, Khurasan Soriog

Rather than Tau I decided that due to their immense size they would look better painted as Elites from Halo.  However, I had no idea on how I would approach them so they sat for a wee bit.  Then, one day while picking up some supplies I glanced at a Vallejo paint set, Shifters Galaxy, Space and Magic Dust.  All metallic paints, which changed color depending on the light and angle of viewing.  Since I am a sucker for paint sets, and since they looked interesting, I picked up Space Dust. 

Khurasan Soriog

After some experimenting I went with Electric Blue/Intense Violet as a primary color choice, with leaders getting a Gold color.  The results are what you see below.  The Shifters are different than anything else I have ever worked with.  They are intended to go over a Gloss Black surface.  You can apply them by either brush or airbrush (I used the latter of course).  Like other metallic paints there is no real way of highlighting them, although you can mix colors and do layering to achieve some interesting effects.  Also, if you varnish them anything other than Gloss the colors will dull and you will be unimpressed.  Luckly, a coat of gloss varnish will bring back the color changing effect.  Satin will give a less impressive look than a gloss coat, but it is an option if you choose to take it.  It is also important not to cover the whole model.  Leave black areas in the recesses.  The models have no real discernable "face".  So I painted what I thought was tusks or fangs an ivory just to add some color.  

I will say right off the bat that initially I was not impressed with how they came out. The colors were perfect.  The paints worked perfectly.  The simple fact was that I don't normally paint this way and the figures, in my opinion, lacked depth and just looked like statues.  Not being able to highlight in my traditional way just felt, wrong.  However, my family (my main painting audience) thought they were fantastic so I kept them on their painting glue sticks and pondered their fate.  I was sure they would go into the strip tank, but their fiddly tails made me think twice.  Besides, I had other projects and redoing these was not on my to do list.  

However, this week I decided (at my son's suggestion) to keep them.  So I finished them off, based them and called it a day.  I did give them a wash of thinned minwax tudor, just to bring out some areas and provide some shading.

Soriog Battle Squad

Now that they are done I am not all that displeased.  The colors have grown on me (lets face it, they are just expensive man-toys, so fretting over small figures for playing war with is silly...at least thats what my wife says).  Basing them helped a lot.  I have since purchased the other colors and am experimenting.  Some interesting alien grav tanks from Khurasan will be making it on here soon along with armored support for the Soriog: Tau Crisis suits...all done in  Vallejo Shifters of course.  

Update: After these photos I hit the models with a Satin varnish.  They are just as cool but without the gloss finish.  This has resulted in a much more realistic look.