Friday 1 February 2013

Wolf Guard: Jofr Stonehewer


This Wolf Guard model, Jofr Stonehewer, came about from me wanting to build the now classic Lone Wolf with chainfist and storm shield. I figured he could stand in as a Wolf Guard or Lone Wolf as I wished.

The problem was the actual building. As you may now, the Wolf Guard Terminator kit has plenty of storm shields and chainfists, but they're all left-handed. So when the Arjac Rockfist model came out and he had a right-handed storm shield, I grabbed it.

Such an aggressively equipped model required an aggressive pose and I like how it turned out.

Read on for more on Jofr Stonehewer.

Jofr is a brawler through-and-through. Seemingly growing ever tougher and stronger as he ages, this indomitable warrior's oak-hard arms have laid low many of humanity's foes. There's no place Jofr looks more at home than surrounded by his enemies, shield and chainfist flying.



Fighting with a chainfist is, if anything, even more brutal than fighting with a power fist. However Jofr has made it into an art, the brutal appearance of his fighting style belying the skill underlying it. Many threads have been cut and battles won through Jofr's superlative ability wielding the chainfist that bears his name. It is said that Jofr's punch is so mighty that it can shatter even the hardest stone found on Fenris.



Ever attack-minded, for Jofr a shield is as much about attack as it is about defence. Not only can otherwise fatal blows be shrugged off, but it can be used to drive a wedge into enemy lines, knock an opponent reeling, or simply pound a foe into oblivion. Jofr's mighty shield, which he has named "Ironknuckle", was made for him by fellow Wolf Guard Braegr Bearclaw in gratitude after Jofr saved Braegr's life when fighting the possessed Planetary Defence Force of Jomad VII. A lucky shot to a weak point in his armour had laid Braegr low, but Jofr valiantly stood sentinel over him, not allowing a single one of the Chaos-infested troops to lay so much as a finger on Braegr.


Headstrong, determined, and unstoppable one his blood is up, Jofr leads from the front, hurling himself into the thickest part of the enemy lines, clearing the way for this comrades. Indeed is was Jofr's indomitable spirit and determination that saw him raised to the ranks of the Wolf Guard of Fyf.


It was during Fyf's assault on the space hulk The Amalgamation of Terseus that Jofr was honoured by Jarl Rikkard Threadcutter. Something evil dwelt within the giant conglomeration of ships that vomited forth from the warp near the system of Fenris and it was Fyf, returning from campaign, who were the closest of the Great Companies and sent to investigate. The Rune Priests all agreed that the hulk was bad star but none could say why. As Fyf approached the hulk in their barge, The Howl of Russ, another ship screamed out from behind the hulk and approached the Howl. Alarms were sounded, and all hands were ordered to battle stations, but it turned out that the ship was the conveyance of an Inquisitor by the name of Sarlia Von.

Now the Vlka Fenryka have always had a tempestuous relationship with the Inquisition to say the least. At times it has been outright hostile. Inquisitor Von demanded that Jarl Rikkard turn his ship around and allow her to continue on her mission. Rikkard, unused to such impetuousness, demanded an explanation. After much arguing, posturing, and no less that thirteen terminations of communication, the Inquisitor finally revealed her purpose. Von had been shadowing The Amalgamation for eight years and was convinced that it's path would lead her to a great threat to the Imperium. Rikkard, believing that hulk was a threat to Fenris here and now, told Von he would board the hulk and end the threat immediately. Von railed against this decision but not even her Inquisitorial seal could dissuade Rikkard. Unwilling to engage in open conflict again a vessel that clearly out-gunned her, Von had no choice but to back down, but she warned that Rikkard may doom them all.



Fyf launched themselves towards The Amalgamation of Terseus in their boarding torpedoes but found no enemies waiting for them. Olaf Wyrdweaver, Rune Priest to Fyf, counselled that despite appearances there was something lurking within the hulk that was a great danger and must be stopped. This presence was centred in part of the hulk that used to be the bridge of an Imperial warship lost in battle millennia ago and so Fyf moved out to locate this evil.

During this endeavour, Jofr was a Grey Hunter assigned to scout out ahead of the main force to locate a safe passage forwards. While making their way down a dark corridor much like a hundred others they had seen that day, Jofr and his pack suddenly became aware of a sudden chilling of their air around them. Then a thousand eyes within the walls, floor and ceiling opened up and a thousand hideously dilated pupils focussed on the Grey Hunters.

A soundless, shrieking, scream of "intruders!" rang throughout the minds of the Grey Hunters and sickening howls were heard coming from down the corridor. Jofr saw a countless number of vile daemons materialising ahead of them. These terrors would surely overwhelm the Grey Hunters, such were their number, and Rikkard and his warriors would be outflanked. Realising the threat, Jofr and two of his fellows rigged up the bulkhead behind them with melta bombs while the rest of the pack tried to hold the daemons at bay. The Grey Hunters then discharged the bombs, bringing down several tonnes of steel onto the corridor and sealing them, and the threat inside, an action which they knew would save their company but would surely doom them to a terrible fate.


The explosion did seal the daemons away from Rikkard and his warriors, but alas the reverberations awoke other sleeping presences and although the men of Fyf were set upon at least they were ready. Fyf moved through the hulk and eventually fought their way to the bridge Olaf spoke of, but lost many along the way.

It was here that Rikkard and Olaf confronted the creature that was at the heart of the monstrosity that had intruded into Fenrisian space. An ancient admiral, driven insane by the loss of his fleet in a terrible battle lost to the pages of history, was now the vessel of a malign being from the warp. Fuelled by the weak-minded admiral's desire to see his fleet restored, this being had drawn dozens of dead ships together in his unfathomable scheming. The creature was banished, but that is a story for another time. This is Jofr's tale.

While this was going on, Jofr and his pack were making a desperate attempt to fight their way through the press of daemonic bodies to try and find some measure of safety, or at least a more favourable location to make their last stand. One after another the creatures dragged the men of Jofr's pack down and all looked lost.

It was then that the remaining warriors were backed into a chamber that stank with the acrid reek of promethium. Jofr stood with only two others as the daemonic creatures circled them, seemingly taking some bizarre pleasure from the anticipation of the kill. Resolving to take as many down with him as he could as he saw the last of his brothers slaughtered, Jofr ran towards a great tank of promethium and, hurling his weapons aside, drew back his fist and with a mighty blow punched a hole clean through the side of the tank. The gush of promethium he let loose became a torrent as he grasped the buckled metal and heaved a great tear in the tank. As the daemonic horde danced towards him, Jofr dropped a grenade into the stream of volatile liquid and leaped away with all the strength that remained in him. The resulting explosion was felt throughout the hulk and Fyf began a hasty retreat, thinking the entire construction was about to come apart.

As Fyf approached the extraction zone, an almighty pounding was heard coming from the ceiling above them. Jarl Rikkard ordered his men to stand to and prepare for another assault. A great steel panel crashed down and after it came the charred and scarred form of Jofr. The warrior had somehow managed to survive the explosion and smash and drag his way back to his company, though he was terribly injured. Rikkard himself helped to carry Jofr from the hulk and he spent several weeks under the care of the Wolf Priests.

Jofr's physical injuries never pained him nearly as much as the fact that he was now the last of his pack. He petitioned his Jarl to be allowed to set off to battle alone so that he might die the warrior's death denied to him on that hideous space hulk. Rikkard persuaded Jofr to abandon his morose desires for his own demise and instead offered him a place in the Wolf Guard. Once again a member of a pack of fellow warriors, Jofr's warrior spirit has never looked back.

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Well, if you read all that, kudos to you! Thanks for checking Jofr out. All comments will be gratefully received below.

7 comments:

  1. I love your conversions. They're all subtle enough that if you didn't know the models before hand you wouldn't know it was converted at all. I love seeing all your new troops painted and reading their stories. Nice work!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks; I like to try and make each model different and give it some character of its own.

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  2. What colors are you using for your bronze metallics? I am also using a darker grey for my space wolf army and finding the right metallics to go with it is the only piece left to figure out. I love the darker more dull gold/bronze look. Looks aged and with weathering, really adds character. Keep up the good work!

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    Replies
    1. Hi NeoBiggs.

      I do the following:

      1) Basecoat with Balthasar Gold
      2) Wash with Agrax Earthshade
      3) Drybrush with Golden Griffon
      4) Light drybrush with Necron Compound
      5) Another wash of Agrax Earthshade

      I think it's the final wash that really dulls down the metal for that aged look. Good luck!

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    3. Thanks for the input. I am a vallejo guy myself but I find myself getting into the new GW paints more and more. I use an airbrush a lot so measuring paint from GW's pots is a bit more difficult. I wouldn't have guessed the recipe you posted but I will have to try something similar. Thanks again!

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