CREATING PLAGUE PONTIFEX QUETCH BY TY FINOCCHIARO

On page 48 of the Warhammer Realms: Lustria book, there's an inset about Skink Chief Poqenichi and how he gained a certain warbanner. The banner was made from the hide of Plague Pontifex Quetch (fancy title for a low-powered Grey Seer) after he was slain by the pesky Skink. Thus, I figured it'd be fun to make the doomed rat, if only for the fact that this type of Pestilens character can be mounted upon a Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes – which is kind of like a Screaming Bell. Since there is no official model for this weapon, it'll be a double challenge as I'll have to create both the Cauldron and Quetch himself.

Coming up with the bitz to assemble this model wasn't too much of a stretch. In fact, everything just sort of fell into place after a few minutes of thought. Throt the Unclean provided a decent body for a Pestilens character, and there are plenty of cool arms on the Plague Monk sprue with which to complete the model. For the Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes, my mind jumped straight to the Dark Elf Cauldron of Blood. Finally, since the unit works in a manner similar to the Screaming Bell, most of the bitz from that unit just made sense for this conversion.

The actual construction of Quetch took very little time as there were no serious modelling hurdles. Just follow the steps below and you'll see what I mean. Test fit everything before you commit, carefully assemble the various bits, make your joins solid, and everything should turn out fine. Below are all the bitz used to make the model and some photos that detail the steps necessary should you wish to make this model for your own force. If you need further help, hit the reference page for large images of the assembled model to help you as you work on this project.

The Plague Pontifex Quetch Conversion Kit

Cauldron of Blood Cauldron : 9947021204105Cauldron of Blood Stew : 9947021204106Screaming Bell Platform : 9947020600303Screaming Bell Warpstone : 9947020600307Screaming Bell Upper Deck: 9947020605902

Warp-lightning Cannon Wheels (x3) : 9947020605405Throt The Unclean Body: 9947020606801Plague Monk Plastic Sprue : Available from the 28th May.Chariot Base : 99379999030

Start by clipping down the long wheel nubs on the Screaming Bell platform.

Give each of the newly shortened nubs a quick filin' down.

The finished wheel nub should just barely extend out from the platform.

You'll need three sets of wheels from the Warp-lightning Cannon.

The trimmed nubs meet up with the wheels nicely. Glue 'em on now.

Glue the wheels so that the model sits level and stable on a flat surface.

Use putty to make these three holes look like wood grain.

Extend the existing fur on the platform with putty and a sculpting tool.

Grab the upper deck bit and orient it in the direction shown above.

Clip off the top three bolts from this corner of the upper deck.

Next, clip off the peg from the bottom of the warpstone holder.

Now, glue the warpstone holder in place on the decking like so.

Glue the upper deck bit with the warpstone holder

Assemble the cauldron and then file the rounded

Having a flat bottom area will ensure that the

in this location. bottom flat. cauldron sits level.

Glue the cauldron in place so that the handles are on each side.

A side view of the project so far. To finish up, add fine sand in various spots with superglue. This sand will simulate infectious mold and filthy crud after painting.

Now for Quetch. Clip off his base tab and file any remnants flat.

Clip the Plague Censer from the left-handed bit and glue it to a right hand.

Attach the finished censer to the "upper" right arm location on Throt.

Glue the "bells" right arm from the Plague Monk sprue in place.

Putty over Throt's "lower" right arm and add some tatters to his robe.

Add or extend the robes in order to cover the arm joins. All done!

The images below show the finished Pontifex Quetch conversion kit. Click on each of the pictures to see a larger image:

Painting the model is easy when you stick to a palette of browns and greens. Quetch himself is mostly a tattered robe of multiple deep green highlights and a bit of skin. The majority of the cauldron base is made up of rotting wood, so a few drybrushes of green over "finished" wood followed by thin green washes will work out nicely. Then, paint the Cauldron to look extra rusty and give its rancid contents a thick gloss varnish to simulate fluid. Randomly dab rotting and decaying bits with an assortment of yellows, deep reds, greens, and oranges for a vivid display of pestilence. Quetch should now be all set to be slaughtered in a fight against a certain Red-Crested Skink...

Throughout the tumultuous Age of Strife, Tehenhauin’s armies always marched to war beneath the protection of the Prophecy of Sotek, carved upon its plaque and held aloft by the prophet himself or by his attendant. Yet, many lesser totems of the Serpent God accompanied his armies, and the Red Crests and their chiefs carried these icons. Some totems were serpent-forms made of gleaming gold and studded with green and red gems, while others bore inscriptions of the words of Tehenhauin. One totem was a hide cut from the back of the Plague Pontifex Quetch, who was defeated by the Skink Chief Poqenichi at the Battle of the Golden Stair. Poqenichi mounted the plague-ridden hide upon a pole and bore it into battle as the army’s warbanner, and so revolting was its stink that the entire army was driven into a murderous rage by its very presence upon the field of war.

Quetch