What would a Imperial road side shrine look like?

[Gunbird]

I want to make some bits and bobs, points of interest and objectives for Inquisitor and Necromunda games, and coming from a part of Holland where you have a small chapel or cross every mile or so, I thought, why not make a roadside shrine for people who pass by to pray, looters to rob, cultists to defile and God knows what else.

Knowing it is 40K, it needs at least 1 skull  and I have loads of those, so no problem. I want to use a 40mm to 60mm round base as the max, and it to be as tall as a man, or slightly taller (to make one look up to the devine, of course).

But then what? I've been googling roadside shrines and noticed a lot of mini churches/buildings, with flowers (were are you going to get flowers in the Underhive from?) and a icon or cross inside. In 40K they are not likely to be made of wood, but metal. But for some reason none of the shrines found sofar seems to tickle my imagination, so I'm curious, how do you imagine a 40K roadside shrine to look like?

[whiskey priest]

I always liked the confession machine from Maxmini

[Gunbird]

http://maxmini.eu/terrain/confession-machine-terrain

What a superb idea. Thank you very much! 

[The-closet-gamer]

I've got the confession booth. Nice bit of scenery. It's how GW scenery "should look". Not this crap they have now. I did something similar years ago for a friend by using 1/35 and 1/48 diorama pieces and filing off the religious icons (I'm an atheist and I felt guilty doing that ) then glued on some pax imperialis,, skulls, purity seals and candles in an alcove. I'm not one to blow my own trumpet but they did look quite alright. Mike Mcvey did a Dark Angles diorama for Angles of Death codex and used the "mk2" bolter as decoration on the wall. It's something I want to use for my Adeptus  Mechanicus scenery when get round to it. Wonder if I should go down the Planet of the Apes route and have a nuke as a shrine.

If it's in the underhive then it needs to be weathered to the max. As for flowers how about it being overgrown with a thorney plant that could be dangerous to passers by. I'd also stay away from the space marine painted to look like a statue as it's been over done unless it's one of the BIG ones that came pre painted a few years back for a BIG statue.

Hope this helps.

[Gunbird]

It certainly helps, thx!

On another forum someone was trying to be helpful with a ruined shrine with a tall Space Marine statue in it (much too big, must have been at least 20x20 cm's) but it did give me the idea to make a tiny shrine on top of a stand with a Epic scale marine in it in Imperial Fists colours for Necromunda, behind a nice glass door.

I tend to make things as scatter scenery, tiny bits on small bases, just to liven up the place.

With the new AM releases a AM shrine would be nice too, for other locations......hmm, more ideas, excellent!

[The-closet-gamer]

As for using epic minis, I remember seeing in the flesh the Titan Legion scenery at GW head office when I was a staffer. I think they where build by Adrian Wild. It used the Imperial Guard minis as statues ( don't know what the technical name for a sculpted statue scene is called ) I always thought it would look good as decoration running around the base of a statue/shrine/whatever. I'm sure they would be some google images of the scenery to visualise what I'm saying.

[cheetor]

The Maxmini confession machine is perfect for what you describe I think.

The "Honoured Imperium" statue that you mention is quite a nice kit, but is more of a monument than a shrine, as you say.  There is something amusingly over the top about something like that every mile on an Imperial thoroughfare though.

[Gunbird]

Yes, that is a bit much for my wants! 

I've now been pointed to parts of the building sets they sell for useful parts. Not sure who sells single parts of Manufactorium and such?

[The-closet-gamer]

Try ebay. Quite a few bit part sellers. Works out about a £1 U.K. for a plastic part plus the same for P&P. Totally infuriates GW who want to shut the sellers down.

[cheetor]

Bits and Kits sell them.

Which bits were you directed to?  I think that I could be interested in something similar.

[YPU]

Coming from the same part of the land, oh my what a wonderful idea. I think I have some of those bits that might be helpful lying around at my parents place, I didn't stick most extra deco on when I build those sets. I'll shoot you a PM when I get back there and if I remember.

[Gunbird]

Thx Closet Gamer; I'll have a look this weekend.

Cheetor; thx for the link but practically everything is sold out . I was pointed towards items like these: http://hoardobits.com/cgi/hob/shop.pl?cat1=Bits&cat2=Warhammer%2040k&cat3=-40k%20Terrain&cat4=%3EManufactorum&page=&view=01282013-5-1 This for the eagles and the Saint like figures http://hoardobits.com/cgi/hob/shop.pl?cat1=Bits&cat2=Warhammer%2040k&cat3=-40k%20Terrain&cat4=%3EManufactorum&page=&view=01282013-5-2 The end pieces as posts for smaller ones and pointy rooftops and stuff like this to pressmould http://hoardobits.com/cgi/hob/shop.pl?cat1=Bits&cat2=Warhammer%2040k&cat3=-40k%20Terrain&cat4=%3EManufactorum&page=&view=01282013-5-6 and reuse in chapels and what not.

Sadly not prices I can afford atm. Fortunately, I was gifted a badly built whatever funky name they have given this particular building, lots of skulls (obviously) and doorways and windows, that I'm now carefully ripping apart to get at least a head start in the bits department.

YPU; that would be great, thx!

[OSHIROmodels]

Instead of flowers why not spores and fungi.

It is the Underhive after all 

cheers

James

[Daeothar]

Flowers are certainly possible, even in the underhive. They would just be rather more ferocious (looking) I suppose

I recall reading some scene in the Eisenhorn trilogy, where they approach a Shrine City from outside the walls, and they find that the ground is oddly crunchy.

It appears that they're walking on a carpet of billions of tiny bird skeletons. Apparently, pilgrims who reach the shrine in the city buy some small singing birds and then release them from the shrine in honour of the Emperor. The doomed tiny birds then fly out of the city, into the desert, where they die in their thousands each day. Perhaps just the macabre feel you will want to give your shrine.

So maybe small cages with birds, or (why not?) spiders? Droves of candles are very simple to do, and have the advantage of being universal. Fungi or maybe something like Venus Flytraps could work too.

The Epic scale statuettes idea is perfect, and I've contemplated doing something like that as well.

Making it overgrown is of course almost required. Also, maybe use that caged skeleton that came with the WHFB plastic giant? Could be either a criminal, to be judged by the shrine's saint, a random sinner or maybe even a human sacrifice...

Oh; and scrolls and parchment everywhere of course (next to the skullz^®)

[mcfonz]

I would have a look at modern ones and apply a bit of 40k gothicness to them.

Fenris have this:

http://fenrisgames.com/shop#!/FGFAS63-Roadside-Shrine/p/46775381/category=8776491

Amongst a host of other things.

I'd think a section of wall with a little window in it with a couple of candles, maybe a Cadian helmet, with a bit of parchment and maybe a purity seal in it. Little things like that.