Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas everyone!

Drifting over ice, mountains floating by...

Christmas eve! Which, for me this year, means mulled wine, tea, and my Xbox 360. Got the day off, though to balance things out I will be working Boxing Day, so I intend to enjoy it! Just about finished wrapping everything, so hopefully there won't have to be any last-minute panic-buying!

On the modelling front, seeing as this blog has become rather Warhammer-oriented, I think I've finalized on a colour scheme for the Dark Elves, courtesy of Games Workshop's website.

Picture (C) Games Workshop. Not painted by me (sadly!).

The robes will probably be a bit more purple, and the armour a bit more black, but the idea of black armour trimmed with purple really speaks to me. I can imagine that it'll take a bit longer than normal, though, so this might not be an army I can complete in a short time! Oh, and the bases will be snow. Never tried snow before, and I couldn't think of anything else that I'd want to do.

And, just in case anyone's curious, here's my dark force from Naggaroth so far:

Captain Nemo, with his as-yet-unnamed pet dragon.

Tiny, I know. I'm really regretting selling all (bar the above) of my Dark Elves all those years ago. Still, hopefully after Christmas I'll be able to get a job again in relatively short order (fingers crossed, touch wood, etc), so that should finance at least a small force. Gah, they're right when they say it's like plastic crack...

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a 5-hour long journey...

I'm off up north tomorrow to see my better half again, and exchange presents. Got the whole weeked off from work, which is just as well, given that the journey alone to see her will take up half a day each way. Still, it'll be nice to get up there and see her again before new year.

Currently reading the first book in Abnett and Lee's Malus Darkblade series, and it's beginning to grip me. Getting me much more fired up for this potential Dark Elf army (have I mentioned this before? If not, yes, I'm planning another £-sink in the form of a Dark Elf army), so much so that I've bought myself my second-in-command, Captain Nemo. Not named for the character, but rather the direct Latin translation, as he literally is 'no-one' - he is pledged to the service of my Highborn, Eluthir, who is the only one to know the secret of his past & family. Model-wise, he's simply the old metal Cold One Knight champion, just 'cos I love the model so much. And, given that I'll be using the new plastic Cold One Knights as my knights, he'll stand out enough as someone special.

Started on the rather insane idea of modelling Van Diemen in 54mm scale too. So far, all I have is Covenant's backpack, as well as a disturbingly long mental list of all the other bits I'll need.

The Eldar are still resting, sadly, though (and these are not just empty words, this time!) the warlock is priority #1 next time I have a moment or two to paint something.

Anyway, I really should be sleeping before the obscenely long train journey. Night all!

All dressed up and ready to go...

Following hot on the heels of the fluff, I present the (nearly!) finished Inquisitor Alexander Van Diemen. Apologies for the sheer number of pictures, I got a bit carried away!

Inquisitor Van Diemen moves through the darkened corridors, his bolt pistol held ready.

Shots of Van Diemen from different angles.

Van Diemen corners a robed cult leader.

Ambush! The Inquisitor finds himself trapped, but not helpless...

Inquisitor Van Diemen and Arbitrator Damien Tam (he's been promoted since his inclusion in the painting contest on Eastern Fringe, in case anyone frequents that forum and actually remembers him!).

___________________________

So, barring the odd touch and a coat of varnish, I can say I'm pretty pleased with how he turned out. And now comes the overly-in-depth, 'Why I did X, Y and Z' bit. Feel free to skip if you want ;)

To me, the game of Inquisitor is all about behind-the-scenes action, and as such I wanted Van Diemen to look almost 'ordinary'. Yes, I realise how loopy I sound, given his body armour and armaments, but I tried to convey it through his clothing instead, so that it almost looks as if he could button up the coat, hide the bionic arm and pass for another face in the crowd, if no-one's looking too closely. This was the logic behind the muted tones of brown, beige and black; by keeping them as the predominant colours, I think this helped the brighter colours to stand out even more, while still giving the model a 'dark' feel. I think anyone who knows me, or has even read the post about 3 or so down from this one, can guess where the inspiration for the coat came from... *sings quietly* Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand...

The blue and red are really the only two bright colours on the model, hence why I used them sparingly! The red, I felt, connotes an air of menace, hence the use on his weapons and sash, while the colder blue was reserved for his bionic eye and trim on the carapace. Both were used for the odd wire here and there in his right arm, though, to break up the otherwise-bland silver. The grenades were done in different colours to represent the two types he carries - for some reason, I imagine the photon flash grenades being the blue ones....

I can quite proudly say that Van Diemen is 100% Imperial! Well, nearly. The only part that wasn't originally from an Imperial model of some variant or another is his power sword, which was liberated from the High Elf warrior sprue. Looking at my second model, which I assembled 'out of the box' with the hand flamer (I'm sure they have a fancier name nowadays, I'm just a traditionalist) and power sword, I'm very pleased with how my conversion went. By filing away some of the detail and almost pulling the model in a bit in terms of size (the bolt pistol extends nowhere near as far as the original sword!), he looks far less ready for a battlefield and more suitable to the ethos of Inquisitor.

Well, after all that, I'm sorry to say that the Eldar are still as they were. Now I've finished my side project, I'll hopefully be able to focus on them again, so with any luck the next warhammer-related post you see here with another instalment of Project: Eldar. I doubt it'll be for a while, though; until after Christmas, I have a grand total of three days off, one of which may well be reserved for gaming, and the other two of which I'll be heading up north to see my girlfriend.

Though, typically, there have been whisperings of Warhammer Fantasy on the horizon. Thankfully (kinda...) I've sold my Dark Elves, who are the army I would collect if Fantasy became a regular thing around here, though I do still have my Malus Darkblade model... However, a strong will should prevail, and keep me focused on the Eldar rather than wandering off onto another side project!

28mm =][= - A brief history of Inquisitor de la Marr

The youth of Richard de la Marr is shrouded in the mystery of time. Born on a hive world in the Apetomarus sector, he was selected at a young age to be recruited into the Inquisition, taken away from his home and thrown under the care of another inquisitor sectors away.

For the next twenty years, Richard de la Marr dropped off the radar. Imperial records occasionally reference him, but it was not until The Thirteenth Black Crusade that the then-fifteen-year-old de la Marr reappeared. Under the command of his mentor, the Amalathian Inquisitor Morland, he was involved in a clandestine raid on a major cult on the planet Cernunnos in the Chinchare sector. As a recruiting world for the Imperial Guard, the planet’s forces had been transported to boost the defences on Agripinaa, leaving only a token defence force. Inquisitorial agents and spies had informed Morland that a chaos cult, long suspected of being hidden on Cernunnos, was poised to strike, planning on a coup to take the planet, breaking up a vital Imperial shipping line.

If there was one flaw in Inquisitor Morland’s character, it was his pride. His astropaths sent word to the Astartes, requesting help, but not before Morland himself had led his followers onto the planet in an attempt to neutralise the cult as it started to erupt across the planet. During the raid, de la Marr was separated from his master as the groups converged on the cult’s suspected headquarters, and in the ensuing confusion, found himself near the surface again. Leading an Adeptus Arbites patrol team in, he was successful in eliminating the cult leader, but not before Morland was torn apart by the magus’s bodyguards.

de la Marr left Agripinaa soon after, leaving the Imperial Guard and PDF forces to cleanse the planet of what was left of the cult. He purchased a small ship and wandered the sector for years, hunting down cults and cells on various planets, before finally responding to the Inquisitorial summons and returning to the High Conclave. It was here that the young de la Marr was praised for his actions on Agripinaa, and presented with his Inquisitorial seal by Inquisitors Dauncey, Barellus, and Atherton.

Thrust out into the wide expanse of the Imperium with no mentor, the young de la Marr continued to wander. With no clear inspiration, he wavered between different Inquisitorial factions, occasionally joining a Thorian for a while, or hitching along with a Xeno Hybris, but never staying on one path for long. The usual hangers-on gathered around him, as with all Inquisitors, but most were left behind as de la Marr wandered, alone.

While travelling on the Imperial Mars class cruiser Dortmunder, de la Marr found himself leading a small group of soldiers, Naval armsmen and militia against a small raiding party of the Red Corsairs that attacked the ship on a routine patrol. Despite taking heavy casualties, they managed to force the boarders back, keeping them confined to the loading bays. A distress beacon was sent out, and the nearby Hammer of Grace responded, altering course to engage the chaos ships.

Before it arrived, however, the Red Corsairs made one last push, mighty chaos space marines storming through the ship, slaughtering their way through teams of almsmen. Holding a stairway alone, surrounded by the corpses of almsmen, de la Marr duelled single-handedly with a chaos marine. Exchanging blows in the cramped space of the ship left no room for finesse, and the chaos warrior’s brute strength began to show through, forcing the inquisitor further back up the stairs. With a roar of bloodlust, the marine brought his screaming chainsword down, completely severing de la Marr’s right arm. Collapsing on the floor in a pool of blood, pain flooding through him, he groped around, feeling his left hand closing on the butt of a navy-issue shotgun. As the giant stood over him, poised to deal the final blow, the young inquisitor summoned up his last reserves of energy, hitting the marine with a concentrated blast of psychic energy that stunned the berserker for a moment. Raising the shotgun, de la Marr blew the monster’s head off before collapsing into unconsciousness.

It was months before he was finally returned to active duty, with a bionic right arm and a note of commendation from no less than two senior inquisitors for his role in defending the ship, but the young de la Marr still wandered the stars, lost as to his purpose in the Imperium. A young man, without any sort of mentor to look up to, thrown into a huge galaxy of turmoil and strife.

It was on Firax V that this was all to change. Responding to a distress call from an Adeptus Mechanicus outpost, de la Marr fought his way through Tau strike-teams and helped to liberate the research station from their clutches. It was there that he first met tech-priest Claudius, who had been studying the incomplete reports from Inquisitor Volt, recorded on the chaotic mirror-world of Charys. Something drew de la Marr to Claudius’s work, and rather than immediately moving on he stayed on Firax V, spending night and day studying the fragmented reports.

The more he studied the reports of the dead inquisitor, the more his mind began to see things clearly. The true enemy of the Imperium was not the scrabbling hordes of xenos that pushed time and time again against the barriers of Imperial soldiers; nor was it those dangerous, uncontrolled pyskers who hid in the Imperium itself. He, Richard de la Marr, alone saw the truth where so many others were blind. The greatest threat to the Imperium was right here, pretending to serve it, all the while plotting its downfall; the adeptus astartes of the Space Wolves!

The more de la Marr thought and studied and analysed, the more sense it made. Volt’s report clarified the half-whispered rumours that the Space Wolves were, in fact, mutants, who could transform into chaotic wolf-like creatures. Somehow, their foul sorcerers had spun mesmerisms over the entire galaxy, just as Horus had millennia before, pretending to serve the Emperor while all the while waiting for their moment to strike. Oh, they were clever, he admitted. To have hidden away, unlike the other traitor legions, and to be subtly eating the Imperium from within like some foul canker.

Over the weeks, de la Marr became more and more certain of the Space Wolves treachery. And he remembered, or at least his suddenly focused mind told him he did, what insignia had been half-covered by the eight-pointed star on the pauldron of the power-armoured giant who had cost him his right arm. It was a wolf’s head! Their psykers must have foreseen that he was the one to rip the veil of deceit from the eyes of the galaxy, and dispatched an assassin to kill him before he could discover his true purpose. This realisation drove de la Marr even deeper into his obsession, and he began rooting through the archives, searching for even scraps on information related to the darker side of the Space Wolves.

Now, the young inquisitor had a purpose. He needed to warn the galaxy of the impending treachery, before it was too late. But he knew the dangers of openly proclaiming the Space Wolves Excommunicate Traitoris, realising that with no solid evidence to show the simple citizens, he would be ridiculed and exposed. But he is determined to do what he thinks is right, a dangerous obsession with proving the Space Wolves guilt driving him on, day after day.

Now, Inquisitor de la Marr wanders the galaxy, accompanied by only his most trusted confederates. To the eyes and ears of all else, he is still in pursuit of cabals of witches, alien cults, and rogue psykers, but this is all just a façade to cover his real work. He scours the archives and libraries for any information, hunts down anyone who is rumoured to have evidence relating to the corruption of the Space Wolves. His bolt pistol is loaded with kraken penetrator rounds, and he keeps his power sword by him always, in case the Space Wolves should try to assassinate him again. And he watches, and waits, compiling every scrap of information he can find, waiting for the day when he can finally reveal the greatest secret to the galaxy, and save humanity from the dark force that looks set to doom them all.

Inquisitor Van Diemen

The finished conversion for Inquisitor Van Diemen. Apologies for the quality; my camera doesn't perform too well at night, and sadly that's the only time off I have at the moment!

28mm =][=

Gotta love consecutive days off. I've been working on converting Van Diemen (in-between bouts of Batman: Arkham Asylum - I still haven't grown tired of that game yet!), and he's just about finished, barring his lack of any close-quarters weapon. I'll put up pictures of him when I've found him a sword, but for now, just to prove that I haven't forgotten about this, here's his profile as it stands.

There is a reason for pretty much everything, down to the psychic powers and the shot selector(!). It's all written into his background, which I'm getting close to finishing a shortened version of. Again, I'll put it up as soon as possible.

24 hours

After 7 straight days of work, I finally get a whole twenty-four hours to myself tomorrow! So far my plans include buying my girlfriend's Christmas presents, trying to sort out my Secret Santa for work, finally making that cheeseburger I've been craving for the last week, and hopefully a game of Warhammer or two.

Oh, and as if to further emphasise my geekiness, I've reserved the Serenity Roleplaying book at work. Not for the game, just because the art and background are so beautiful =) And I'm a self-confessed flan.

Work, ottsels, and 28mm Inquisitors

So, tomorrow marks my last day off for a while as I begin transitioning from one job to another. Really looking forward to this, and as much as I'll miss my current job, I am really excited to be moving on. Due to notice periods, though, I'll be working both at once for about a week or two, hence the lack of days off. Should be fun!

I keep thinking I should plan something for tomorrow. Try and do things I've been putting off, or try and progress some things, or whatever. Maybe paint that Eldar warlock who's been sitting on my painting station for about a week, or work through the pile of bank statements that are slowly resembling a mini-mountain on my desk.

As my girlfriend said when I mentioned the above to her, though; 'Ha!!!!' I'll probably end up playing Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier all day. Got it in the post a few days ago, and despite work I'm already over 33% of the way through. Probably helps a lot that I have a love of the Jak & Daxter games anyway, but I'm really enjoying it. It's a nice blend of the platform roots of the series, as well as the gameplay from the previous 2 games. Plus, the voice actors do as stirling a job as ever!


I've also started a new side project on the Warhammer front. Don't get me wrong, I'm nowhere near bored of painting Eldar yet, but I just get tempted by Inquisitors too easily. So, as a small side project: Inquisitor Van Diemen. Named after the song (this version in particular, though Steeleye Span's has always been a favourite of mine too) before anyone runs off with the idea I endorse what happened then or anything. Never seen the movie that the above link is set to, either. Just love the song too much.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for an inquisitor. I blame Dan Abnett and his Eisenhorn trilogy ;) Anyway, I've been working up his profile and backstory (hey, I have to have something to think about in the lulls at work!). I've also done a little bit of research on how people have adapted Inquisitor to 40k scale, and might give it a go at some point. Even if that doesn't work out, he's just such a gorgeous model I had to have him.

I will try and tear myself away from the PS2 tomorrow, at least to deal with all the banking stuff I have piling up. With any luck, I might even get to the paints, and there might be a new blog post tomorrow with photos of my average-looking Warlock ;)

Resurgence (after a week...)

(Apologies for the long silence, but my girlfriend was down for the last week, so understandably I've had no time for painting or blogging.)

First and foremost, most importantly, I am now employed! Only until Christmas, technically, but there's a chance the position could be made permanent, so of course I'll be doing everything I can to ensure that! This may well mean my blog updates become fewer and farther between as I take every shift possible, but somehow I think we'll all cope ;) Still, I get to sign off JSA (at last!), and start work this coming Saturday. So, all of this week is going to be a painting binge, enjoying the spare time while I still have it!

On the subject of painting, I've been working on two of my Wave Serpents today. Love the models, and painting them, while time-consuming, is fun too. They're far less extravagent than my Harlequin Falcon, though, as I couldn't face painting that many diamonds - instead they're in the colours of the craftworld, and I'll be cheating and using transfers for detail ;) There's a few modelling mistakes with one of them, which I'll leave you to spot when I put up pictures - nothing major, but still noticable to the sharp eye. The downsides of buying them cheaply off Amazon... I've revised my army list as well; the new configuration unfortunately means that my Vyper will sit on the sidelines, which is a shame after I've just finished painting it! Still, it was fun to paint, and no doubt it'll go back in the list at some point.

Just listening to Muse at the moment - well, more specifically, a string quartet covering Muse's 'Knights of Cydonia'. I borrowed their latest album recently and, while I haven't quite finished listening to it yet, I'm rather enjoying it. Still prefer Black Holes and Revelations, but The Resistance ranks above albums like Showbiz for me.

I'm also trying to make 'The Traitor's Hand' last as long as possible. I'm ashamed to say I've only recently got into Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain novels - ashamed because I should've read them much earlier! I fell in love with them since the first page, and it's not uncommon for them to actually have me doubled up in laughter. I've got the rest of them on order, but unfortunately the only one to have arrived so far is 'Cain's Last Stand' (the last one in the series - typical!), so until 'Death or Glory' arrives I'm trying my hardest to make 'The Traitor's Hand' last as long as possible.

Anyway, I'm sure I've rambled on long enough about my frankly mundane life for now, so I'll sign off and get back to those Wave Serpents ;)

Project: Eldar [4]

As it's been a while since anything of note was put up here (barring my half-finished Falcon, and as that's still W.I.P. that doesn't count!), there's a double header today! So, I present the latest painted additions to the army:

The Vyper

The Swooping Hawks

The Vyper, alongside its Epic counterpart. Notice any similarities in the colour scheme...? ;)

Both units together.

I'm rather pleased with how they both turned out. The Hawks took about a week, on and off, and a day of pretty much solid painting, which is probably a new record for me in terms of how long they took! The Vyper was quite a bit quicker, given that a lot of the detail is transfers. Speaking of the transfers, I know, there appears to be the Saim-Hann symbol on it at first glance. Well, strictly speaking, the Cosmic Serpent is a pretty popular and generic Eldar rune, which just happens to be used by one of the major craftworlds. In this context, it's symbolising its more literal meaning of knowledge, given the Serpent's ability to know all secrets, past and present. Rather appropriate, given the Eldar of Cairas Mythar's constant search (I know, I keep promising this background. A few more edits and I will put it up, honest!).

I have also managed to procure a second Wave Serpent, so now I have got all of the models needed for this army! Ok, the Wave Serpent's still in the post and most of the Dire Avengers look like they've been hit dead-on by an Earthshaker shell, but still, they're all there in principle. Talking of which, that leads me on to the next 'To-do' list; namely, assemble the Dire Avengers (the models are so gorgeous, I'm sorely tempted by another box just for the fun of it!), and paint the first Wave Serpent. I've stocked up on new pots of Hormagaunt Purple and Dheneb Stone, so I should be good to go paint-wise re these three Grav-tanks I have left!

On a completely different note, despite having been a seriously hardcore fan of the show for years, I was surprised to notice today for the first time in the credits for the Firefly episode 'Safe' that Zac Efron was in it. Still, I don't think I've seen him anywhere else, so I can be forgiven for not recognizing him. Apparently, according to the Handbook To Life (a.k.a. Wikipedia), Firefly was the first TV show he appeared in. Yet another person with a lot to thank Firefly for =D

I've been watching Trinity since it came on air. It's no Firefly, but it's good for a bit of fun. I won't talk too much about it in case anyone decides to watch it and I spoil something, but I can't wait for next weeks episode. It's become very Jonty-centric for me now, to the extent that when the other characters are on screen, I'm thinking, 'Get off, I want to know what's happening to Jonty!'

Also, I'm unemployed again. The temp work at the office was great fun, but unfortunately the manager can't stay on holiday forever, so I'm back where I started (though over £100 richer, and able to put 'Temping as an Office Administrator' on my CV). Still, I have a few irons in the fire, so to speak, so fingers crossed that at least one will come to fruition!

Project: Eldar [3]

Today, the Eldar of Cairas Mythar were baptised in blood as the Craftworld prepared for war! Yes, they've had their first couple of battles, courtesy of Conor's Imperial Guard =) First battle was a Cityfight-come-Cities-of-Death battle, which ended with the Eldar losing after brutal battles in the cramped streets, and the second was a basic 40k Killpoints match, which I won. So, what did I learn?

First off; I have no regrets in collecting them! They're great fun to play, and definitely a challenge compared to my regular Necrons. Plus, it's just fun to be painting something other than red and silver all the time(!). Back to the actual gaming, though - what did the two battles teach me? The first game was another reminder that 1) I need to focus more on objectives at times and 2) I really could do with being more offensive. The Dire Avengers, who were in reserve, could've probably swung the game in my favour in retrospect. However, I ended up bringing them on at completely the wrong end of my board edge, and as such rather than chewing throguh a couple of guard squads and securing a table quarter, they spent the game slowly moving up along a street before finally securing some ruins.

The second game proved that the Swooping Hawks were not a points sink, given that they actually won the game for me. The Imperial forces managed to destroy both Wave Serpents in the first turn before the pilots could even put the keys in the ignition, which ended up with that most disturbing nightmare - an Eldar infantry column foot-slogging it towards an Imperial gunline. I only managed to snatch a win due to the Hawks and Elarique taking out a Medusa, a Chimera and a squad of Veterans led by Sgt. Bastoin(!) with a selection of Haywire grenades, Fusion gun shots and just plan awesomeness. So, after that, I think I can safely say that the Hawks are here to stay ;) Yes, I'm going to be one of those odd Eldar players who always takes Swooping Hawks, insisting that they're an effective unit!

Both games, though, I managed to put Idranel with the wrong squad! The first game, he could really have done with being in the Storm Guardians, while the second game (when he was with the Storm Guardians), he could really have done with being with the Dire Avengers/Guardian Defender (who, typically, he was with in the first game!).

I have made a couple of changes to the list, mostly Vyper-centric (especially after it survived countless direct battle cannon rounds in one game!). The Vyper's EML has gone in favour of two Shuriken Cannons - I felt that trying to make it a Jack-of-all-trades with both anti-infantry and anti-tank weapons didn't work - and the spare points have gone on a second Harlequin's Kiss. Partially because Rending is a great rule, and partially to actually make the squad WYSIWYG.

I also now have my first Wave Serpent, though you won't see it for a while. In honour of their record so far in battle, beyond A and B the C of D, the Swooping Hawks are next up for some loving care and attention from the paintbrush, followed by my rather lucky Vyper. Hopefully by the time those are done, the Dire Avengers will have turned up, and I can focus on them and the Wave Serpent together.

And, last but not least, in an attempt to break up this block of text:

My Harlequin Falcon. Still a bit of a work in progress, but I thought I'd put up some pictures anyway.

Project: Eldar [2]

Having the weekend off before starting work on Monday morning, I took the opportunity to knuckle down and actually get on with the Storm Guardians who, until then, had just been acting as unpainted decoration on my bookshelf. (Most of my models seem to end up there sometime in their lifetime. I think it's just a convenient place to dump them for a bit. Currently Baharroth, the Hawks and the Harlequins seem to be occupying it.) Still, I've managed to finish the entire squad to my normal standard, so I'm pleased with them. At the moment, that tallies at 2 Troops choices fully painted, and 1 HQ. On the buying front, all I still need to get hold of is 1 box of Dire Avengers, and 2 Wave Serpents. Not bad. I've also nearly finished painting the first Falcon, after which I'm taking a break from diamond-patterns and giving the Hawks a taste of paint. Much as I love the Harlequin models, there's only so many diamonds a man can paint at once!

And photos of the whole lot.

The entire painted Strike Force so far.

The painted models so far.

The Guardian Defender squad.

And, at long last, the Storm Guardians, accompanied by the Warlock. In all honesty, given that my other Warlock model is armed much more appropriately with just a witch blade, I'm not entirely sure why I painted the one with a superfluous Singing Spear first...

Storm Guardians.

Seer Idranel in all his glory (for now at least; who knows, if I get bored I may well add some more detail!).

Also, I've just been offered £130 + p&p for my Chaos Dwarfs! If the sale goes through, which I sincerely hope it does, that'll be fantastic - another £100 to put towards my girlfriend and I living together again eventually, and £30 more for my Eldar to enjoy =)

The Dance of Death

I know, I keep promising more painting, but I couldn't resist taking a few photos of the latest arrivals =) Undeniably gorgeous models that are, hopefully, going to be one of the centrepieces of the army. And the best part? I managed to get all 7 of them for £10, including p&p! I love Amazon.

Right now, though, I'm working on the Storm Guardians. Luckily, I've revamped the list after realising how useless the Warlock in the Defender squad was, so I don't need to bother painting another Warlock. Unless I fancy a change from endless Guardians, which at this rate I may well do soon....

*EDIT*

I have decided on a colour scheme for the Harlequins. Rather than being completely multi-coloured, as their nearly-finished Falcon is, I've decided on a much more limited palette. Given how much smaller the models are than the battle-tank, too many colours would just swamp the model. And so, after watching one of my favourite movies of all time again, I took inspiration from Clopin Trouillefou, particularly when he's in his much more sinister Court of Miracles costume, and decided on a predominately purple/blue pattern juxtaposed with red. Might be a while until I finally start them, what with the Storm Guardians, Vyper and Swooping Hawks all lined up before them, but I'm really looking forward to painting them!

'Where the lame can walk, and the blind can see; but the dead don't talk, so you won't be around to reveal what you've found!'

I feel young, actually...

In-between bouts of painting my Falcon (so... many... diamonds....), I dug out White Dwarf 105, from 1988 - the year I was born! Makes me feel young, which is a change ;) The only reason I mention it is that it was a bumper-special Harlequin issue, complete with Jes Goodwin's classic models and rules by Graeme Davis. Interesting to see just how many units have fallen by the wayside over the years - I'd imagine some people lamented the loss of the Mime at the time as much as we have the loss of the Solitaire in the most recent incarnation.

Most interesting to me, at least, was a certain rule the Death Jesters had. Rather than blazing away with their Shuriken Cannon, they could choose to fire a single 'Bio-explosive Shuriken'. When this special ammunition hit and wounded a model, it wouldn't die; rather, it would detach from the unit and stagger around as the poisons wracked its body. Rules-wise, this meant the model moving 2D6 inches in a random direction each turn, and if a double or a 7 was rolled, the poisons finally did their work and the models head exploded, hurting anyone nearby!

I know I wasn't even able to walk when that rule was first implemented =P, but it's that 'type' of rule that I miss. The special, unique-to-that-model rule that was more in there for fun than any tactical advantage. I can honestly say that if Death Jesters could still fire that ammunition, I'd take so many of them in my army!

Birds in the attic!

One trip to the loft later...


And that would be the Heavy Support choices sorted out =D Never made, or indeed painted a Falcon before, so this should be a fun experience! I'm part-way through assembling one now, remembering all the basics like not gluing in the pilots or windscreens (for want of a better term), and not gluing on the Scatter Laser (magnetizing, just in case). Although yes, I'm afraid one is going to be painted in 'Harlequin colours'. Before you all assume I'm some fluff-ignorant power gamer (which, for the latter, my list at least should disprove!); I know that the webway is not big enough to accommodate a Falcon (hence the Venoms - aah, Citadel Journal #39; good rules, not so good on the official Venom conversion front. I never thought the model had enough room on the back to transport Harlequins). In lieu of the VDR, I'm afraid the Harlequins are stuck with a Falcon if they want to get anywhere faster than a walking pace, and there's only so much the Flip Belts can do ;) So, background-wise; given their strong ties to the Harlequins, Cairas Mythar probably has a Harlequin-vehicle-'garage' somewhere on the craftworld.

Will the paint scheme make it an obvious target over the purple and bone Falcon? Nope, I'm not above putting the Harlequins in the other Falcon... ;)

Whew, long post just to basically write about my rummagings in that Cave of Wonders that is the attic. I'll try and ensure the next post has some painting progression in it.

Project: Eldar [1]

I've finished painting my first squad of Guardians, so here they are (minus Warlock, he's taking a bit longer).

Take and hold the Ian Rankin collection!

Trying out different lighting to see what works best.

So, minus the Warlock, that's the Guardian Defender squad done, and as such 1 squad finished. I'm not sure about basing the Support platform - all I have is an abundance of flying stands, which all make it look too high. Might try and find some wire that fits the hole and use that instead, as at least that would allow me to have it as low as I want.

On a side note, I finally have 4 Wave Serpents in Epic =) Still need 4 more, but it's a start. The models are a lot bigger than I expected...

Also, a couple more photos:

The first Storm Guardian

Seer Idranel. Still planning on a few details and touch-ups, but I figured he was finished enough to have his photo taken. It's not like I'm planning on entering him into Golden Daemon or anything ;)