A thank you to Para Bellum for sending us this kit for review.
They’ve only gone and done it; not one, but two monster bases to house this utter monstrosity. The largest model Parabellum has created to this day certainly does not disappoint for scale. Giving the Old Dominion a nice Monster option that’s only partially a fallen god, the Theokrator is here to test your concentration. The second monster, and second fallen god that Old Dominion players get to play with has made its way on stage. Unlike the more majestic tortured angel of the previous OD centrepiece, this forgotten deity is being held as more of a hostage than a revered being. A hauling mass of corpses and an ancient temple, bound together by sheer will, and guided by the ruling mage class. It is worth noting that this is NOT one of Parabellums “dual kits”. Despite the similarities, the Theokrator and the Unhallowed Sepulcher (the non-hero version) are separate build kits and have a good amount of unique parts and designs between them so do be careful when buying and ensure you got the right one, or regret and FOMO will come for you…
First impression upon opening the kit and moving the double monster base out of the way is “Oh, only four sprues; mustn’t be that big.” Two hours later I sat staring at a model that has to be one of the few times “banana for scale” is valid, and leaves the fruit looking like it’s cold outside. With instructions that clearly were designed on A1 and shrunk to fit on a folded A4, it does make figuring out what they are showing a little unclear. One bit of good news is that the large scale means you get a pretty good idea of what’s going on, provided you look at the numbers in the instruction rather than glue before you think; the folds do lead to some odd ordering in the sheet and I refuse to believe that it’s 100% on me for doing things in the wrong order. Luckily, the instructions are more like guidelines than actual rules, and it all comes together rather intuitively in the end.
These minor issues aside, the model builds up really nicely with minimal mold lines and only the odd part here or there requiring some sealing. For a model this size, this is most impressive. I have bad memories of building a Titan and needing more greenstuff than there was resin! As a fully plastic model, there were no issues with flash or warped pieces ,and good old plastic cement works the usual charm.
The model itself is beautifully sculpted, with the squirming masses of the corpse-god-temple-abomination looking suitably horrifying up close. There’s enough detail buried in the main bulk to keep the avid painter excited, adding specks of colour and detail, but it’s just amorphous enough to be a key contender for a slap-chop contrast speed painter. Finding new calf-corpses being clawed at and chained to columns filled me with a joy that I should probably talk to a professional about. The crawling bodies give a real unique flesh golem vibe that really lends to a vibrant colour palette, giving a truly standout centre piece to any undead Byzantine empire!
I would HIGHLY recommend doing a partial build, paint what you’d put together, and then complete the assembly, as the top temple part will cover most of the centre mass, making an even paint job very tricky. Luckily, for people like me who hate part constructions, the model also leans into this by having a very easy “top” part that can be fully built and stuck on at a later date with no issues — providing you check you’ve not got wobbly columns.
My (Not so) Little Guy
The colour scheme I went for was to mix a decaying, purple, flesh tone with an undercurrent of a magical green glow to really give off the appearance that this being is more than just a load of corpses held in a pile. Taking inspiration from some Nurgle-esque flesh tones to give that rotting look, and adding the neon green, using contrasts, into the crevasses. I tried to balance the dull tones with some brighter stone, and metallics. Giving the death masks a tarnished, but crisp gold effect, as opposed to the ancient railings of oxidized bronze that no undead army should go without. My undead puppeteer was painted by my lovely partner as an ohmage to the great Kuzco (of Emperors New Groove fame) with the bright colours, I think, very needed to bring a bit more life to the model. I may go back and add some brass or golden touches to the temple itself, but I rather like the cemetery vibe of pure, moss covered stone, being dragged by the intricate bound deity.
All in all I found this model a real easy build; there are some parts, notably iron railings, that are slightly prone to a snap but this just adds to the whole “ancient ruin” vibe with the rest of the model being solidly stable and capable of some reasonable battering. It took around two hours start-to-finish to build it up with only minor distractions of “how to paint ancient stone” slowing me down. As mentioned, the painting was fun, if a little repetitive with the sheer amount of stone and generic “flesh” but the odd little gory detail and incredibly fun tri-face frontage more than made up for it. I’m really happy with how this model acts as both a leader of the army, and as a hobby piece. I’m excited for the future to see what forsaken conversion opportunities are born from this beautiful monstrosity.
As always if you want to get 10% off and support Goonhammer you can make your Conquest purchase by clicking here for US/Canada or here for EU/rest of world. You’ll also need to enter code “goonhammer” at checkout.
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.
