It's been a while since my last update on the Warscryer Citadel project, but the painting portion is well underway. In this post I'll discuss my process for painting the stonework, rocks, and ground.
My Necrons have awakened from their decade-long slumber, to once again set forth on their mission to scour all life from the galaxy. I've never posted any photos of my collection, so this seems like the perfect opportunity to show them off...
One of the pressing questions for many hobbyists building an Undead army, whether it's Soulblight, Legions of Nagash, generic Death, or even classic Warhammer Vampire Counts, is what to do for Blood Knights. The Games Workshop kit is a little pricey compared to many of their other cavalry model sets. At $100 USD for a 5-man unit, they are easily one of the most expensive units to field.
The Blood Dragon unit debuted in the 2008 Vampire Counts army book for the 7th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy. Since then I've been wracking my brain with how to convert unique Blood Knights that would look the part and (maybe) be less expensive. I found the solution, which I mentioned a few posts back, so here's a look at how I converted my Blood Knights:
I've been posting terrain tutorials for a while, but one of the things I tend to gloss over are the specific tools, and how they can be used to achieve different effects. There are also techniques like making foam stones and bricks that really deserve their own dedicated post. This is a new tutorial series called Tools and Techniques. Each post will focus on one tool or technique and how I use it in my scenery building process.
I've had a number of projects that were on hold because I was either waiting for a crucial part, or I had other things that needed to be finished first. With my banshee choir finally finished, I can move forward on those other projects...
If you've been following my blog for long enough, you may remember my post about the Shelf of Shame™ from way back in 2013. Lord Oren Koth is one of the last items on the shelf to be completed. He was initially envisioned as a mounted battle flag (or infernal standard), but since that's no longer an option in Legions of Nagash armies, I traded out the banner pole for a tomb blade.
One final bit of construction for the Warscryer Citadel is the connecting platform that I kitbashed out of the spare pieces from my second citadel kit...
When I left off with this project, I was about to add the bottom of the ruined tower. I was struggling to work out how I could arrange the spare tower pieces, but the solution turned out to be less complicated than I thought. Time to finish this thing...
At the beginning of the year, I began working on the wargame hobby bingo card, and I'm hoping to have it filled n by the end of the year. Here's how things have shaped up so far:
Welcome to the image gallery for the Wild West Exodus-themed harbor! This is a game board that I was commissioned to build for Warcradle Studios. It was on display in their booth at Gencon 2018, where it was used for demo games, and now I am able to present it here in all its glory. I kept a log of its construction, and you can view those posts under this link: Project Log: WWX Harbor, or via the same label in the sidebar.
The Wild West Exodus Harbor board made it to Gencon, and you can see it this weekend if you're at the show. Check out Warcradle Studios in Hall F, booth #3027.
With that project out of the way, I have a little more time to focus on some other projects. My focus is on Age of Sigmar at the moment, but I still have this techmarine that I'd like to finish up.
I built a servo arm for him, but I want to cast it before I glue it on, so it will still be a while before I can get around to painting the model.
I can also get back to my Warscryer Citadel. I've been working on the wall sections for the bottom of the ruined tower, but it's like trying to reverse-engineer a jigsaw puzzle by drawing the images on separate pieces that haven't yet been cut into their puzzle piece shapes. I'm probably over complicating it (like I always do).
I was able to get some hair, so I can finish off the Banshee conversions. Just in time for the new Nighthaunt army, too!
I picked up the "Magic Goes Bananas" box, and I've built my first Endless Spell (technically my second, if you count the Balewind Vortex). I play a lot of games against Deciples of Tzeentch, so the ability to toss out a spell that can (potentially) dispel everything the enemy attempts to cast and then explode in his face seemed like the obvious choice to start with.
The Malevolent Maelstrom was one of the most visually uninteresting spells in the box, so I spiced it up by adding some extra spirit heads and the skulls from one of the Lord Executioners. My intention was to was to create more of a swirling vortex, sucking souls toward its center so the model didn't look like a lumpy ball with a couple of faces on it. The spirits thematically match my undead army as well.
Once I knock out those projects I can begin work on my Nighthaunt army. I've been contemplating how I would base the army– Would I match the square bases of my Undead Legions, or use rounds and treat it as a separate force?
I settled on rounds since they come with them, and a lot of the models have integrated rounds anyway. Allying the Nighthaunt units into a Legions of Nagash force isn't very appealing, since they don't benefit from any of the allegiance abilities, not even the basic Deathless Minions roll to ignore wounds. The units in the Soul Wars set can be PART of the Legions army, but I don't think they offer much more than what's already available. I'll likely build a few characters, like the Lord Executioner, to match my Legion, with square bases and all, but the majority of the Nighthaunt will remain a separate force.
One issue I have with the army is the beautifully modeled Easy-to-Build scenic bases, which don't match the other units, which will have regular-shmegular flat bases. If I want a uniform basing scheme throughout the army, I need to either model ALL the bases to match the scenic bases, or reduce the detail on the scenic bases. Right now, I'm leaning toward keeping the large elements like tombstones, and statuary, and sanding over the cobblestones. I'm also not a fan of sculpted vegetation on models, so those thorns and flowers have got to go.
Some have been wondering whether or not GW would release a Nighthaunt base pack to match the ones in the Easy-to-Build kits, but I don't think that's likely. All of the Nighthaunt models have very specific attachment points and modeled bits that need to either be glued to a flat surface, or that have a tab for a slotted base. That would be a lot of work to get the models to attach to scenic bases. GW probably would have released them by now, as well.
One little nitpick is the difference between the starter set Glaivewraith Stalkers and the ones in the Easy-to-Build kit– The poles of the fence are noticeably thinner in the ETB kit, and much more fragile. (Do they really expect that tiny arrow to stay attached?) I think GW has just about reached the limit of how thin and brittle they can make models before it becomes completely impractical. There are legitimate reasons for thicker and larger accessories on models; in addition to "readability" on the tabletop, they need to stand up to repeated handling, and being put in miniature cases. I foresee a lot of extra tombstones and bits to reinforce some of the attachment points as I dig into this army...
This project log focuses on a Wild West Exodus themed harbor that I am building for Warcradle Studios– This is the final installment before I show the finished board. This time, I finish off the buildings and a few other odds and ends, and talk about painting them.
This project log focuses on a Wild West Exodus themed harbor that I am building for Warcradle Studios– The board is a harbor featuring a large ship pulled into its berth. In this installment, I'll be finishing up the ship's construction.
This project log focuses on a Wild West Exodus themed harbor that I am building for Warcradle Studios– The board is a harbor featuring a large ship pulled into its berth. Last time, I built the bridge, engine and smoke stacks. This week, I tackle the paddle wheels and the main deck...
This project log showcases aWild West Exodus themed harbor that I am building for Warcradle Studios– The board is a harbor featuring a large ship pulled into its berth. This week, I'll show you how I began tackling the construction of the massive vessel...
This project log focuses on a game table that I am building for Warcradle Studios– A Wild West Exodus themed harbor that will be on display in their booth at Gencon. This week, we'll take a look at another building and I'll show you how I make my water effects...
This project log focuses on a game table that I am building for Warcradle Studios– AWild West Exodus themed harbor that will be on display in their booth at Gencon. This week, we'll take a look at the process I use for constructing the buildings that populate the docks...
TheWild West Exodus harbor project is proceeding smoothly. If you are new to this series, I am building this for Warcradle Studios, and it will be on display in their booth at Gencon. This time out we'll take a look at some of the details around the harbor...
The second edition of Age of Sigmar and a host of new Nighthaunt models is coming this month, so I've been wrapping up some of the projects in my Death queue...
Balewind Vortex
This was a fun little kit to build, basically three pieces– the top the base, and the tornado. I added a few more skulls and some sand to the base, and magnetized the Balewind's parts so I can break it down to transport it.
In this project log series, we're taking a look at the Wild West Exodus harbor table that I'm building for Warcradle Studios. Previously, I finished the table frame, streets, and harbor walls. This time I tackle a few of the details around the harbor and begin construction on some of the larger elements.
I've been building tables for the Wild West Exodus miniatures game pretty much since its inception. Every one has been a unique design that presented its own set of challenges.
This year Warcradle Studios has commissioned me to build a port city, complete with a ship docked in the harbor. In this project log, I will be documenting the progress of the table over the weeks between now and Gencon. If you attend the show this year, you'll be able to see the board in the Wild West Exodus booth.
As I was working on the base for the Warscryer Citadel, I kept mulling over the idea that a second citadel would really enhance the first. Well, I bought one, so here we go...
Fantasy Flight Games had commissioned be to build a Hoth-themed game board for the Star Wars: Legion miniatures game. If you were at Adepticon this year, you may have seen it in person. Now that it's debuted at the show, I can show off some photos of the completed board and talk about the process I used to build everything.
The Warscryer Citadel's construction is nearly finished. This week, I tackle the watchtower and the walkways around it, finishing up the work on the main structure.
With the main citadel construction finished, It's time to detail the interior of the tower. The task isn't as daunting as it seems; building interiors don't need to be very intricate because the intention is for models to fit inside. I need to cover the cavities, build the floor, and add just enough detail to make it convincing.
