July/August Preview: Aviarch, Skjalos Hazard Eradicators and Wraith Troopers

Hey there all! Long time no see! Sorry I've been quiet this month, as most of you will have seen I've had a lot more on my plate than I usually would - still Patreon stuff, but more 'quality of life' improvements and technical amendments and organisation than creative (and trust me, I'd far rather have been doing the creative stuff).

That said, however, I still have stuff to show you guys, that will be coming out in July! First up, we have an update to the Skjalos Hazard Troopers, who were previously released as a set of five models with either grenade launchers or two-handed polaskis. This July will see the addition of five new poses to the set, with a whole bunch of new wargear options, and you can see the first three below:

So, we now have, from left to right, a selection of shotguns, assault rifles and an anti-materiel rifle. Notably, unlike previous weapons I've made for the Skjalos Guard (and hopefully setting a new precedent) each weapon has an entirely unique design, rather than sharing a base with different barrel options, so each weapon feels more distinct. This, unfortunately, means each gun takes a lot more time to make than I would otherwise like, but I feel like it's a step in the right direction.

Time will decide how many options I will get to make, but I hope to build at least the following further options for these guys:
- Flamethrowers
- Rotary cannons
- Missile launchers
- Riot equipment

Next up is a further addition to the Skjalos Guard, and a notable departure from their usual infantry.

The Skjalos Wraith Troopers are companies comprised entirely of warriors otherwise fated to a lifetime in a cell, or those deferring the noose. Murderers, deserters and thieves, and all other manners of other such undesirables who would break Sykaran Law are offered a choice of their punishment, or induction into the Wraith Trooper Corps - so named for their almost certain impending death. Wraith Troopers are not, first and foremost, a military unit, but are instead equipped with tools such as ice axes, for clearing out areas and performing services to maintain the Skjalos Empire - however owing to the huge populace of Wraith Troopers, a number of Penal Companies have been developed specifically for war. Bearing simply boiled leather plates and trousers, the lifetime of most Wraiths is short in the unforgiving wastelands, but it is for most a better life than the punishments their crimes would deserve. However, should any decide they are unhappy with their lot and decide to try their luck at escape, the control braces around their necks make for a slow, unavoidable and agonising toxic demise via injection canisters.

These guys will come as a set of ten models, as above, all equipped with ice axes, and hopefully in future as inspiration comes, further sets will appear with more weapon options to make more diverse units. Until such time however, I think there's enough diversity (especially with poses mirrored in your slicing software) for a fairly substantial force!

There's one more thing I'd like to show you guys too. As I'm sure many of you are also subscribed to the great guys over at The Makers Cult, you may be familiar with their guest artist feature thing - that is, a bespoke model that premieres first on their Patreon, then on the creator's Patreon the following month. I'm lucky enough to have a feature next month, the Kingdoms of Mikaelhelde's Aviarch model, which will then be available on this Patreon in August. Until such time as that's on here, however, I hope you can enjoy the renders of it below.

Well, that's enough for now, there will be more previews coming over the next few days of all-new stuff, so watch this space!