Warmaster: High Elf Silver Helms Reinforcements

Finally!

Painting multiple units paid off.  I worked on my 3rd and 4th Silver Helm units for my High Elves at the same time, and now they look fab!

Warmaster: High Elf Silver Helms

Finally!  A finished Warmaster unit to show off!

Once again they have freehand shield and banner details.

My painted High Elf unit count is now up to 9.  I'm painting two more Silver Helms units after this and then I probably won't want to see another one for as long as I live!

Spearmen would be up, next, and after that, I really hope that the Archers will be quicker to paint as they are a core unit.

These all started with a black undercoat, which is probably a bad idea for such bright final colours.  Everything is washed in Drakenhof Nightshade blue before final colours and highlights, which gives it all a very cold, unusual quality which I like.

The exception to this is the flesh, of which there is very little on Elf models, and usually I just stick to Kislev Flesh paint.

Warmaster: High Elf Spearmen

I still haven't cracked a way of painting wargaming models that is really efficient.

After a burst of activity over summer I thought that I was onto something and so laid out pretty much 2000 points of Warmaster High Elves factory style.  I undercoated them and based them and put spares on lolly sticks to paint more easily.  I glued some spares and gave them the same treatment.

Then I began painting some base colours on them but... This factory style didn't inspire, rather I looked at the line up of lead and sighed!

Nevertheless I found my way back to finishing off one or two, and here's the first of what I hope is a batch over the next few weeks, my first rank and file High Elf unit!

Yes all the elf glyphs are hand painted, and yes I am not a smart man...

Warmaster: Undead Skeletons

  A while back I piggy backed on another person's project in order to help make a suitable Skeleton horde proxy for Warmaster.  The original creator had made 8 skeleton sculpts in 10mm scale, and I paid to have 3 more made to add some variety to the unit.  I did some concept sketches for the kind of thing I was hoping for:

And now I finally have the finished product!

There are 11 sculpts in total, but a unit has 31 models in total, enough to cram three bases with dusty bones!

Warmaster: High Elf Chariots

A misguided attempt to begin batch painting bogged me down.  But now I have the fruits of my labours, two High Elf chariot units for Warmaster, about 195 points worth.

Unit 1:

Unit 2:

Both together, a dangerous battleline to be facing!

Hawk Walk - Feathers & Fur

  My family discovered the wonderful Feathers and Fur on the way to Reading and we have visited them several times to experience some really beautiful birds of prey that have been rescued.

  You can look around at the birds in their aviaries at the garden centre it's attached to on most days.  There are event days when they encourage children to learn about the birds, the owls especially. 

  On these days the volunteers bring out a couple of the better socialised birds and only charge a couple of pounds to handle them.

  Just today, I went out with my Dad and the experienced handler, Sadie, on a hawk walk.  We took a Harris Hawk called "Echo" out with us.  It's more the case that we have the privilege of witnessing him chase things in the fields and have to lure him back with bits of chicken, than that we are engaging in falconry!

   The above shot shows Echo sizing my arm to clamber up...

  And here I feel rather complimented that he's decided that my shoulder is an OK lookout to try and see a pheasant that escaped him earlier in the day!  We were blessed with some beautiful weather, a low autumn sun that seemed blinding to us but not to Echo as we went on his usual circuit around the fields.

  My Dad took some excellent photos but the one above is definitely my favourite!

First steps in EPIC: Armageddon

Whilst I love Warmaster and am prioritising that for painting, I have been giving myself a "break" to do modelling and painting for other scales and systems.

The smaller lead mountain I have for EPIC contains Space Wolf, Eldar and Grey Knight forces.  My aim for Epic is the same for Warmaster in that I want to be able to put out good looking and unobtrusive terrain and markers.

These are 5 official resin Forge World markers that are now OOP, and a scratch objective made from 3 Warhammer 40k Terminator squad teleport beacons.  They are based on 40mm steel washers for transportation and weighting.

I got distracted by the idea of a Grey Knight army and am using the provisional fan list on the Tactical Command forum.  These are Inquisitorial Chimeras, for transporting retinues; hodge podge mixtures of highly disciplined shock troops... And insane fanatics!

These are the first real Grey Knight unit group I completed, rhinos painted in the GK scheme.  Might have to make more depending on how the fan list evolves.  Really proud of these.

Warmaster: High Elves

I finally find myself in a groove for painting Warmaster, and have had a productive month!

First off, High Elf Bolt Throwers.

Then, a General riding a mighty Dragon!

And finally, a proper core unit, Silver Helms cavalry, an important hitter unit for the Elves.

I have all sorts on my table still to do. I want to keep this pace up and have a proper army fully painted very soon!

Nature Break!

As I went onto the patio after lunch, I heard a sound like a flutter of wings.  But it wasn't a bird, it was this beautiful green dragonfly.

It kept patrolling a very narrow space around some ferns, flitting loudly from place to place, and flew into my face and landed on my eyebrow, then on my chest!  It stayed so close that I had time to get a little macro photo of it!

And a toad that tried to make it's home in the compost!

Warmaster: Chaos Knights

Finally got into the groove for painting my Warmaster!

I blitzed a unit of Chaos Knights and I think they came out looking spot on!

The past few days I've been working on Chaos Warriors and some High Elves.  I faffed about with different ideas but seem to have settled on this as a paint scheme.

My aim for this month is to either round out the Chaos Army or get a small High Elf force painted for this wonderful game.