A small update with two random miniatures I painted recently. Aimed toward a small Kill Team / Stargrave / Rogue Trader / whathever roleplay or skirmish.
There’s nothing much to be said, I got rid of several mini challenges and had a little time until I start my third Old World Army Challenge with a bunch of dwarves. So I decided to get some miniatures from my small sci fi skirmish pile done.
First it is Brother Peithon Achojah of the 3rd Tactical Squad, 3rd Company of the Salamanders. A envoy as bodyguard and adviser to an inquisitor party.
I wanted to paint it up in the old, really old 1st to 2nd edition colour scheme. The only deviation is the squad marking on the right shoulder pad because I wanted to give my squads with their markings.
Believe it or not, it is my second ever painted space marine. I have only painted the previous terminator for a friend and this fella.
Second, it my stargrave's chiseler or engineer Monke.
What can be said, it is probably the reason to get into the Stargrave mercenary box in the first place. The opportunity to put together monkeys in combat or space suits was a far greater temptation.
The last defence lines between the swarm and the webway portals and the entrance to the House of Delgari was assaulted by the vanguard organisms. Endless teeth and claws from the lesser gaunts to the first of the many giant monstrosities to be unleashed against them.
The battered dire exarch came to the farseer one more time.
- Lord Ylshor, the remaining guardians and dire avengers are keeping the tyranids at bay, but the corsairs have had to withdraw... they're gathering with Yriel and the wraithguard, they're going for the queen.
...
Your trap is set, but I think this turn of the events and the lack of reinforcements will cost our lives to annihilite their forces here. This is our last stand.
Ylshor focused its vision to the giant monsters that came after the first waves.
- I've seen this path many times and we have delayed them to this precise moment. Do not hesitate, my friend. We may fall this day... but death. Today the Death battles at our side.
One of the smaller webway portals activated behind them and five figures entered the battlefield. A swift and silent movement, a single shuriken cannon opened fire and a giant tyranid monster just melted before their eyes.
Chains of missiles followed and the first wave of biomorphs started to explode.
The giant bone armoured warrior stood silent after the carnage.
The Dark Reaper exarch next to him spoke.
-We're the heralds of doom. Today the hive mind will know the meaning of fear.
The last battle for the House Delgari began.
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Seventeen years after painting the phoenix lord, he's here for an update. I've skipped a little bit the rules, if our beloved overlord allow it, but I needed to give him a proper retinue again. This time, with even older dark reapers that the first time.
3x Dark Reapers - 201 points
A slightly blueish black and saturated dark pink. Ready to kill their enemies at range.
1x Dark Reaper Exarch - 90 points
Following my plan with all the exarchs, I inverted the colour scheme. Armed with the coolest, yet weirdest option for a long range specialist temple.
Maugan Ra, the Harverster of Souls - 179 points
I changed a little bit his colours to match the first scheme I used with it. The bone is also slightly older to stand out from my other dark reaper models, including the new (oldhammer) ones from this month.
This model is a beast and one of the reasons I started my eldar collection.
But the true protagonist of this month shall be
Ylshor, Great Farseer - 170 points
This little farseer is one of the oldest and most simple of all the farseer range across the ages, yet, I enjoyed painting it a lot and it has become one of my favourite models of the entire collection.
I was right making him, and not the pheonix lord himself, the commander.
The last month came with an additional 209 gemstones. That's a grand finale thanks to the million small gems in the legs of the dark reapers.And thanks that i didn't paint the gems in my (not so) small procrastination project that I used in the background.
Maybe I need a larger backdrop image for this one.
The dire avenger exarch watched the holomap with the last line of defense surrounding the webway portal and the entrance to the halls fo the House Delgari.
-We've lost contact with several corsair crews. Hopefully the will be with the other warrios that had withdraw. The line is ready for the last stand...
Suddenly he pointed to the flank
-However, we have reports that several swarms are trying to break through differnt points. The troops are mustering near the portal as you ordered. But we need to counterattack if we want to redirect the swarms to the center point. What shall we do now?
The farseer didn't speak, he simply turned to the webway portal.
In a blast of light, a new reinforcement moved from the webway. A group of warriors in bright clothes riding dragons.
-My name is Calsaar Firebreath, and we're the heirs of Haranshemash. We come to pay our debt in blood and wrath to our allies.
The farseer pointed to the map and commanded.
-The swarm must be herd to our trap there.
The exarch added.
-We could to assist your warriors if needed.
But Calsaar simply checked the equipment of his men and draw the sword.
-You won't have to break formation exarch. We will break the tide and crush those who dare to get to the flanks. The storm rides after us.
The exiled dragon knights charged across the plains between the webway portal and the forests. Farseer Ylshor saw the dragon knights riding towards the swarm and remarked a simple "Indeed" while moving the runes in the air. A psychic storm started to take shape behind the wild riders...
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This unit has seated in pieces waaaay to much. The wild card month was the perfect opportunity for the wildest riders.
It is a shame that the exiled dragons never had miniatures, neither they got love in more recent editions. A running gag in some novels or fluff, but nothing more. They're an interesting part of the eldar lore. First, imagining a society of eldars that had rejected most of the traditions and became something like the space amish...but with a more advanced technology than humans.
Heck, according to the old Titanicus they even have knights and titans...
And the second reason, because dinosaurs. Who can resist to a Dino-Riders army.
So here we go
4x Exiled knights - 152 points
For this unit I took inspiration from Moebius amazing illustrations, with pastel and bright colours. That would add something interesting and different to the usual wood elves in space vibe that you'll expect from the eldar exodites. That's before watching the amazing pastel exodite riders from Lyssane! Truely amazing and inspiring as always. So I went for the original idea of the pastel colours which I do not usually paint.
The dinosaur skins are also different to the usual lizard-like greens or brown/yellow. The inspiration came from a child book I was working with a friend of mine who made the illustration. While the anatomy was right the editors wanted that the colours where... something more radical. I loved some designs and tried to replicate a particular skin into the dark elf cold ones.
Fun to paint in this kind of colours as I usually work with a more saturated or darker palettes.
1x Exiled knight veteran - 50 points
It was pretty fun to convert and paint, so who knows. Probably I will expand the exiled dragons in the future.
This unit lacks a lot of gemstones in comparison to the previous months but I think that 72 gemstones will please the public.
A tired Dire Avengers exarch is helping some guardians to retreat in the last line of the Forest.
- It won't be possible for all our forces can withdraw to the warpgate without getting catch in the open, they're too close. Ymir prepare your fire dragons again, we will have to stand and fight one last tim...
Suddendly several detonations were felt coming from the Forest and the roaring engines of a Phoenix bomber squadron.
Behind came several grav-transports and landing craft of various colours. The emblem of the Eldritch Raiders could be spotted in all of them. From a door it came a figure.
- Fast exarch, come with me if you want to live.
The corsairs started the evac with the newly arrived transports.
- Wait, even with your ships at our disposal, there are still more troops fleeing from the forests up ahead. And they will be catch by the swarm... we must hold them here so they can reach the city safely.
- Fear not exarch, we will hold the line. When the enemy surround us thinking they have an easy prey, but our targeters will guide the phoenixes so they rain down fire and death upon them...
We may see you in the warpgate. Soon.
And the pirates entered the deep forest, armed to the teeth. Walking into an endless darkness.
No sign of the morning coming.
Now they've been left on their own
Like a rainbow in the dark
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Fourth month, the pressure starts to feel and I painted the minimum. But with a little twist.
At first I didn't know what colour should I choose. Do I paint an inverted scheme from Iyanden for the Eldritch Raiders? Combined with black? Add additional colours or the purple + blue variant of this warband?.
So the solution was obvious: Paint in all the available colours.
You guys give me also an excelent idea, "paint them like pirates", and pirates wear strips... I opened my galery of Chris Foss illustrations and started doing whatever I felt that suits each pirate.
In the end, even the disciplined eldars may wear whatever they bring into a corsair force, rather than a uniform pattern. Or atleast it suits the unit quite well, with the arrange of different weapons.
9x Pirates (yarrr!) - 135 points
1x Veteran Pirate Captain - 31 points
They also have cool makeup because I listened to heavy metal while painting but they're more into glam rock.
(The pirate captain's helmet is a Dave Perry unscrupulous copy..err tribute)
It was one the funniest unit I've ever painted in my entire eldar collection. Each model admits lots of different details and motifs. Jes Goodwin early designs are simply put, amazing.
Double inspiration: I just remembered that Stargrave is coming, so this unit will be my warband of space adventurers. With some additional rt eldar and a pair of surprises I've in my desk. Still no murderbots sadly (I envy those of you who have one!).
For whatever reason, the music app started repeating Dio's discography. Which I think it is not a bug, it is a feature! And with such variation of colours came the idea for this month chapter.
A yes, the gemstone count: 168 gemstonesif I am not mistaken.
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And that's it, the 4th troop month of the IV OWAC, now for the two special months.
Here is my 3rd contribution to The Old World Army Challenge of this year, enjoy:
Rank and File month #3
The deepest parts of the Forest saw skirmishes erupting here and there. The swarm was advancing and the eldar line could not wistand the numbers much longer. Pockets of resistance from the guardians and shrines of aspect warriors tried to maintain safe routes for the incoming withdraw.
But the tide shall be halted or else the Eldar could not get to the rearguard.
Among the oldest trees, some of them seen the ancient soils of the Inner Planets of the Eldar Empire, everything came to an unnerve silence.
When the swarm was crossing the deepest forest, the unnatural scream came from all directions.
-Lets burn them.
Hundreds of melta bombs annihilated the first wave of biomorphs and the scouting creatures ahead of the main horde. From the flames came the witches screaming and slicing the monsters like butter. And then the dragons came covering them with flaming rays, disintegrating any tyranid than could get beyond the dance of swords of the Howling Banshees.
The Shrine of the Thousand Blades was a perfect bastion to resist the tide. The Dire Avengers have been doing so for almost a day since the end of the battle in the forests. Their short range weaponry and unmatched skills in close quarter combat will make suffer the tyranids if they wanted to take their position.
However, Taeroth knew that with the guardians falling back and no heavy weapon support, soon or later the swam would unleash one of their monstrosities.
And so they did.
The giant biomorph was a true titan. While the lesser creatures were cut whenever they tried to approach the temple, the shuriken munition did nothing against its mighty carapace.
The doom was before them, but they will resist and die.
[A laser canon struck the beast in the front and stunned it in the place, surrounded by fellow avengers died with its charge]
-I see my opponent through the veil of death, and it will taste the cold of the eternal dream.
The dead exarch Kelrye stopped the confused blows of the giant claws of the creature and hit with all the force its dreadnought confers her. The creature fell to the ground.
One final attempt to get up and continue with its rampage. But Kelrye punched the head, sticking her fist and ripping the head off.
-We will strike in the heart of the swarm and tear it apart.
Following their undiying mistress, the dire avengers countercharged the tide, disbanding the charge.
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Second moth finished. Wosh, February was a pain, those fewer days pay a heavy toll, especially when there are other deadlines mixed. In the end, I tried my best to paint something extra instead of the 10 miniatures. Maybe, an eleventh one. That will make the deal.
9x Dire Avengers - 198 points
1x Exarch - 56 points
For this squad, I made a little turquoise blue instead of the usual blue. I didn't want too much turquoise/green because I want to paint a unit or two of Swooping Hawks at some point in the future and I love the schemes well differentiated.
Taeroth, as well as other exarch of the army (wait and see...) had his scheme inverted with the contrast colours of the unit. That's makes some variation in the colours and the leader stands out a little bit.
The sword was painted in blues simply because I paint power swords in red, normal in blueish grays and psychic swords in purple. And then the Dire Avengers come with a Dire Sword, and the simple plan goes to rubbish. At least I am pleased with the result, it pops a little despite all the blues.
1x Eldar Dreadnought - 190 points
Lastly, Kelrye piloting the wraithlord. I painted her in the typical Iyanden yellow, but then, it was like a bit flat... I looked at the painted wraithlord of 2nd ed codex and came with the idea of runes in the body. Also, a small yellow bits in her trophy, I tried to put some colour in the Kraken's red carapace like in the Advance Space Crusade alternative box art that Steve Beales and Lissane discovered/suggested for me. Thanks!
Ah, the moment you were really waiting for, not these painted miniature preambles: February ends with a total of 405 gemstonespainted. Why on earth there are more gemstones in the backpack and the weapon of the wraithlord?!? We will not falther, there will be more gems to come!
The Forest of Silence lived up to its name. Nothing could be heard except for the unnatural thundering trot of millions of hoofs and the sound of screeching teeth. The swarm was in advance.
Suddenly, a song of wrath started to sound. The flutes of the bonesingers echoed from all directions in the forest. It was the signal.
Ready my men, none of these filthy beast shall live to see another day after desecrating our world!
The volley of laser fire erupted from the front along the glades of the Forest. Hundreds of tyranid biomorphs halt and fell, killed instantly. The plasma cannons ripped holes in the infinite tide of enemies. The battle of the Forest of Silence has begun.
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The first month of my second challenge. I wanted to start with the troops and paint most of the yellow madness, so I can add more colours to the mix in the next months.
10x Guardians - 110 points
The metal guardians have little variety. I tried to maintain the basic yellow scheme and have some randomess in the details. After paiting all the armour and helmets in batch of five models, I picked each individual and went for a unique style of leather for the pouches, strip for the clothes, flame motif, and gemstone combination.
The leader was also fun to paint, the commander from the space elf range has some variation that gives even more flavour to the unit.
I never was a big fan of clone monoposes, but with the challenge of bringing up the details of the guardians, I like how it ended.
1x Plasma Cannon in grav platform - 55 points
We will need some serious firepower to exterminate the recent plagues found in the typical Iyanden house. Pesky lictors, they are usually found in the warmest parts like the back of the heater or the fridge.
The platform was the easy part. I wanted to create some glowing plasma effect in the batteries and the main body.
The old crew members are awesome and have a lot of cyberpunk vibes.
I couldn't resist to paint some cool leather jackets. The old leather of the gunner with the range finder was made using a bit of orangy-brown mix and applying VMC signal blue to the shadows. The highlights doing dots were a pain but I am pleased with the results.
The shuriken catapult gunner was made with Victor's creamy purple secret recipe.
Unfortunately, he's not with us. This year, because he had no time to keep with the challenge, not because he's joined the hosts of Nagash. Probably he'll delight us with this awesome trick, which I am more than pleased with my initial try.
Last, but not least, there is a total of 297 gemstonesin those fellas. I'll keep the count updated in this path to madness.
