Two recent Black Library novels – The Hollow King by John French and The Arkanaut’s Oath by Guy Haley – have had the unusual distinction of being released alongside models of their main characters, Cado Ezechiar and Drekki Flynt. These miniatures are every bit as awesome as the books they come from, so we sent them off to some of our favourite painters for a fresh glow-up.
Darcy Bono
Darcy chose to swap Drekki’s colour palette around, opting for crisp white armour over a bright blue flight suit. Coupled with his grey beard, it gives the captain of the Aelsling a more youthful appearance, perhaps from the earlier days of his career.
Jarosław ‘Camelson’ Drabek
Vampires are often morbid, but Jarosław bucks this trend with a colourful and cheerful (for the undead) take on Cado Ezechiar. Bright gold armour contrasts wonderfully against a royal blue cloak, and his face is full of warmth – or perhaps just flush with his latest meal.
Garfy
Garfy’s take on Drekki Flynt is part of an atmospheric diorama, surrounded by the spoils of his work. The daring rogue even seems to have styled his deep red armour after his own treasure chests. There’s a lot to unpack there.
Joshua ‘OmegonEdge’ Mallett
Joshua manages to make his version of Cado’s armour pop by heavily desaturating the surrounding colours and having the bright red armour and plants take centre stage. The two-tone face is a great touch, hinting at his dual nature as a noble ruler and bloodthirsty vampire.
Josh ‘The Warhipster’ Hill
Drekki returns to his classic blue armour in Josh’s version of the model, albeit with some eye-catchingly shiny metallics on display. Being a renowned swashbuckler is all about presentation, and clearly Flynt spends a lot of time polishing his equipment to a mirror sheen.
Katarzyna Gorska
Katarzyna’s stunning example saturates the Hollow King with a pink ambience, from the expertly blended cloak to the sharp highlights on the tree trunk. The rust and damage on his armour still shines through in the darker areas, contrasting the colours wonderfully.
Tyler Mengel
Gold and silver details get toned down to tarnished brass and steel in Tyler’s take on Drekki Flynt, perhaps reflecting the captain after a particularly long adventure as wear and tear sets in. That tail does look delightfully meaty…
Vince Venturella
Object source lighting from two separate points – orange in front and white behind – give Vince’s take on Cado a feeling of being part of a larger scene. The vampire’s face looms out from over the illuminated areas, which would give any resident of the Mortal Realms the fright of their life.
Both characters are available from the Games Workshop webstore right now, and you too can learn to paint them with our painting videos here – Cado Ezechiar and Drekki Flynt. Catch the adventures that kick off their stardom – The Hollow King and The Arkanaut’s Oath – in eBook or MP3 audiobook formats from Black Library.