Themed Army Ideas

Fighting Tiger Black Ops: Kamal   by James Arnold
Kamal is already is one of my favorite characters. I initially had a vague idea of how I wanted him represented when I began sketching out his character, but the head just bought it all in focus for me. The Catachan Jungle Fighter head, which I used for him, just has so much personality that it commands the character follow suit. This is one of the reasons I really enjoy this project, where the faces really let you identify the characters as they appear. 

Bio in Brief
Kamal, brother to Hadin, grew up in a village not far from Janhavi. Unlike his brother, Kamal spent the majority of his youth either trying to prevent being caught committing mischief, or to evade the authority figures that sought to punish him. He learned very early on that in order to live how he wanted, he had to do so away from the ever-watchful eye of his parents. For Kamal, stealth was a way of life, an art form. 

Kamal's talents were to become of paramount importance when he was a boy. During an Ork Waaagh! against Veda, Kamal found his parents captured and enslaved. Using his skills to evade detection, he and his brother Hadin infiltrated an Ork stronghold, rescuing their parents and several others from a short and brutal life of servitude. It was in this time that the brothers realized that their respective talents could be used for the good of others. The violence of the skirmish also awakened in them a sense of duty and necessity to defend their home. 

Kamal found himself working alongside Janhavi very early in his military career. The two brothers viewed her as the sister they never had, and when Janhavi was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, they quickly signed on to be her subordinates. 

Bitz and Pieces
A list of the bitz I used to construct Kamal:

• Arms and legs: From the Assault Marine box
• Head: Troop head from the Catachan Jungle Fighters box

Conversions
Apart from a basic head swap, there was virtually nothing that needed changing in this project. 

Painting
For this article, I wanted to concentrate on the emerald armor. When coming up with the color scheme, I wanted to keep things with a more realistic edge. Some things I considered included:

• These are specialists in blending in with jungle terrain. They are going to be wearing green, and lots of it.
• A big part of the story is they always hunt without their helmets off, so unique faces are a must.
• Just because it's a hard line look doesn't mean it can't be bright.
• The unit should have some element to tie it to the rest of the Tiger army. In this case, stripes. 

I started with a coat of watered-down Dark Angel Green over a white primer. I let the paint fall in the recessed areas in the armor, to give the shadows a more natural look. The base color is my favorite: Snot Green. You just can't beat some of the names for these paint colors. From the base coat, the armor was highlighted with Goblin Green, and then Scorpion Green. In the hot and bright jungles of Veda, I imagine this color blending perfectly with the surroundings. 

I wasn't sure if Kamal would be distinctive enough for the squad, but seeing him completed has reassured me. The inclusion of the Catachan face has made the piece unique while still maintaining all the trademarks to link him to the rest of the squad and to the Tigers as a whole. 

Next time will hopefully see the first of the female Space Marines in the squad. Here's to hoping she turns out just as well as the first two boys. 
 

Related Pages
Fighting Tiger Black Ops: Introduction
Fighting Tiger Black Ops: Fiction and Articles
 

Posted: July 2006. Used with permission.
 

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