BP is a showoffy Warhammerer

BP is a showoffy Warhammerer

So, as some of you may know, I'm a Warhammerer. Or, more specifically since I don't get many chances to play, a collector and painter of Warhammer Miniatures. Sorta. I'd like to use this thread to show you all my better miniatures, in which I put the most effort (meaning you won't find a lot of regiments or hordes here, mostly Lords, Heroes, Special Characters and regiment Champions). If you were hoping for 40k minis I'm afraid I have to disappoint you though-- I'm exclusively active in Fantasy.

Still, let me know what you think! Feel free to post comments and criticism. I'm eager to find out how many of you are into Warhammer (or even know what it is) and what people think of my works.

Lord Skreek the Cruel (open) Lord Skreek the Cruel (close)

Army: Skaven
Unit: Grey Seer
Purpose: The Fang 2013 (No placement)
I’m actually very pleased with how Lord Skreek turned out. I poured a lot of work into this particular miniature and I still like the idea of putting him on a large rock of Warpstone, which is a substance that Skaven thrive on and go a little gaga for. There’s still things I wish I could have done, such as Source Lighting between his toes to indicate the warpstone is glowing; maybe he’s drawing power from it. But altogether, I’m still very pleased with how Lord Skreek turned out and I know that once we have a sizeable Skaven force in this house he’ll be a worthy commander.

Al-Raavia (open) Al-Raavia (close)

Army: Wood Elves (de facto)
Unit: Noble with Battle Standard (de facto)
Purpose: In-game use
Producer: Studio McVey
Available: Yes.
A few years ago, an acquaintance of mine pointed me to Studio McVey when this miniature was revealed. He said she’d make a good Battle Standard for my Wood Elf army, and I agreed with him. Studio McVey makes strictly limited miniatures, so I acted fast and ordered her. (Theirs looks so much better than mine ._.) She DOES currently serve as my Battle Standard, but it’s a little awkward to see the banners of your Core regiments being taller and bigger than your Battle Standard. Also, Al-Raavia cannot be used for official tournaments because she is not produced by Citadel or by Forge World.

Ar-Fienel (open) Ar-Fienel (close)

Army: Wood Elves (de facto)
Unit: Waywatcher Noble (de facto)
Purpose: In-game use
Producer: Studio McVey
Available: Yes.
Ever since buying Al-Raavia, I’ve periodically been checking on Studio McVey’s store because let’s face it, those are some really good miniatures. A few months after finishing Al-Raavia, I saw Ar-Fienel, and immediately found she’d be a good noble for my army. (Again, theirs is so much better than mine.) Ar-Fienel… has been performing amazingly in my games. I use her as a Sniper with the ability to fell units with no saves allowed, or the ability to fire three arrows in one volley. With the redesigning of the army, she’s lost her status as general of the army, but I might still use her regardless. Like Al-Raavia, Ar-Fienel is not tournament-eligible because she is not produced by Citadel or Forge World.

The Silverhooves (open) The Silverhooves (close)

Army: Wood Elves
Unit: Glade Riders
Purpose: Core to build Wood Elf Army Lists around.
The mainstay of the Silverstag Kinband is trained in mounted archery, equally capable of hunting game and intruders. They seem to have a mental sort of connection with their mounts, making each a flawless team of Elven Steed and Elf. The Silverhooves are the very finest of these Glade Riders. They can fill many roles -be it scouts, vanguards, flanking force or distraction- and switch between them on a whim. Selection for this regiment is strict, and the Horsemaster isn't shy about kicking out anyone who doesn't meet her high standards.


The Silverhooves are led by Horsemistress Daiyani, an experienced and strict Elf with a particular knack for spotting and picking off intruders. She is well aware of her squad's reputation and skill and takes pride in it, working hard to maintain it.

Prince Nefaris (open) Prince Nefaris (close)

Army: High Elves
Unit: Noble with Battle Standard
Purpose: In-game use
I’m not the only Warhammerer in this house, and I commonly paint miniatures for my father’s and my brother’s armies. Prince Nefaris (whom I have named for the purposes of this thread) is my father’s Battle Standard Bearer, and was my favourite work until Lord Skreek and Terreka came along. I’m still struggling to keep him and his oversized banner stable, though.

Prophetess Aelika (open) Prophetess Aelika (close)

Army: Bretonnia
Unit: Prophetess of the Lady
Purpose: Homage to an old RP character / In-game use
Inspiration: Aelika Dawnshade, Raven Branded Summoner (Radiance Lost, FEP)
Born in the generally loathed lands of Mousillon, Aelika is a mysterious woman even amongst the chosen of the Lady. Between the golden eyes that made the Fay Enchantress take her, her dark robes as opposed to the vibrant ones of most Damsels, and the generally ominous aura she emits, the Prophetess forms an unsettling presence to her own men as much as she does to the enemy. However, Aelika's intentions appear to be benevolent ones; she has only acted according to the word of the Lady and the King, and the dukes she has served place utmost faith in her. Along with the fact that her prophecies thus far have always been accurate, this makes the men willing to look to Prophetess Aelika as a trusted leader.

Terreka on Redjaw (open) Terreka on Redjaw (close)

Army: Lizardmen
Unit: Skink Chief on Ripperdactyl
Purpose: In-game use
My brother bought me a box of Terradons and/or Ripperdactyls for Christmas, and I interrupted my other plans to build them. I’ve built a Skink Chief on Terradon and a special character on a Terradon, but I also wanted to make a Skink Chief on Ripperdactyl and holy hell are these things badass. The koi spots on the wing membranes are based off of the designer’s notes in White Dwarf saying that the beast itself was partially based off of a goldfish. I’m also very happy with how the new blood paint (claws and jaws) looks after it dries. It looks really sticky (and feels stickier than other paints) even when it dries up, much more useful than washes.

I don't know what Warhammer is, but I do know that it's really cool you can do miniatures like that, BP. I hope they like it, cause that's cool- what really jumps out is the neat contrast between the blade's crimson and the runes' green. :)

Welp, as it turns out Lord Skreek wasn't good enough to place us in the finals. Still, I've gotten my hands on a new miniature and a replacement for one of my brushes, so you can expect a different picture soon-ish. Also, Games Workshop Breda (the establishment where I entered) took some pictures of their own for their facebook page- I'll see if I can link to that one here, since it's probably of a much better quality than my own is.

Wow! This looks really great! Well done!

I haven't taken the time to paint recently, but there were some older miniatures that I'd like to bring under the attention.

Al-Raavia
A miniature produced not by Citadel, but by Studio McVey. Not affiliated with Games Workshop in any way, shape or form, they create limited edition resin miniatures, usually in 750 castings total. An acquaintance of mine pointed out this miniature to me around last Christmas, and I agreed with him that she'd make a good Noble with Battle Standard for my Wood Elves army. That awkward moment when the banners of your Core regiments are taller and bigger than your Battle Standard, though.

Warning: Image Size (open) Warning: Image Size (close)

Ar-Fienel
By the same creators as Al-Raavia, Ar-Fienel is a miniature I came across when randomly checking the Studio McVey site for updates. She was the most recent one, and I got her to serve as a character in my Wood Elves army as well. Since Warhammer Fantasy uses square bases instead of round ones, I'm usually forced to use her as a unit type that doesn't have to be in block formation all the time- but it happens to be my favorite type of unit in the army, so it works out. She does her job (sniping enemy characters with 3 shots per turn) well, too.

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As a side note, for those of you interested (I can't possibly be the only one on HC with this hobby, can I?), as of writing this both Ar-Fienel and Al-Raavia are still available in the Studio McVey store. Be sure you know what you're getting into though, as both are fragile miniatures that have to be handled with care, much more so than Citadel's range. I found this out the hard way with Al-Raavia.

Prince Nefaris
I'm not the only Warhammerer in this house: my brother and father both have two armies of their own. Being the good daughter with no life that I am, when my dad told me I could paint his characters I leapt to the occassion, especially since his main army, the High Elves, have some character miniatures that make me go a little gaga at times. After deliberating with him, we decided that I'd assemble the Noble on Foot as a Battle Standard for his army.

Grumpiness aside this was probably one of if not my best work until Lord Skreek came along. By the way: This banner is NOT free-handed. Al-Raavia's is. The Banner of the Phoenix Flame came cast this way like a picture in a coloring book.

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Most of you probably know that this is not my first roleplaying site. On FEP, where I began, there were two 'sets' of two boards each- with the second set beginning after the first was shut down. They were Skylessia (generation I) and Radiance Lost, followed later by Skylessia (generation II) and Radiance of Elibe, respectively. Now, while I never did get exceedingly active or overly attached to most of my characters in Sky II and RoE, there was one character in Radiance Lost and one character in Sky I that I miss to this day.

Naturally, being the weirdo I am, that means Warhammer time!

Based upon Aelika Dawnshade, my Raven Branded Summoner from Radiance Lost, I bring you:
Prophetess Aelika
Born in the generally loathed lands of Mousillon, Aelika is a mysterious woman even amongst the chosen of the Lady. Between the golden eyes that made the Fay Enchantress take her, her dark robes as opposed to the vibrant ones of most Damsels, and the generally ominous aura she emits, the Prophetess forms an unsettling presence to her own men as much as she does to the enemy. However, Aelika's intentions appear to be benevolent ones; she has only acted according to the word of the Lady and the King, and the dukes she has served place utmost faith in her. Along with the fact that her prophecies thus far have always been accurate, this makes the men willing to look to Prophetess Aelika as a trusted leader.

Prophetess Aelika (NOTE: IMAGE SIZE) (open) Prophetess Aelika (NOTE: IMAGE SIZE) (close)

Aelika counts as a Lord choice in my Bretonnian army and between her unit type, level, and magic items, she's good for 295 points.

This is all I have for now, but stay tuned for:
- A very special Bretonnian Pegasus Knight who will always have a place in my heart;
- A regiment of High Elf Dragon Princes that I'm painting for April's contest;
- A regiment of Wood Elf Glade Riders that I intend to use at the core of my Wood Elf armies.

So Christmas came and went, and I got a box of one of the Lizardmen's new regiments: Terradon Riders AND/OR Ripperdactyl Riders depending on how you decide to build them. One box provides enough parts to make a total of three flying cavaliers. There's five options with this set: A character on a Terradon, a character on a Ripperdactyl, the named character Tiktaq'to on his Terradon Zwup, a regiment of three Terradon Riders with or without captain or a regiment of three Ripperdactyl Riders with or without captain. Or, of course, any combination of these.

I love building characters, so I decided to make a character on Terradon, a character on Ripperdactyl, and Tiktaq'to and Zwup. The SECOND of this list, is now finished. Sorry that it isn't anything of the list I spoke of last time; this kind of got inbetween it and I still have another few characters that I want to finish, first.

Skink Chief Terreka on Redjaw the Ripperdactyl
I finished this thing maybe half an hour ago, and I'm not as familiar with Lizardmen lore as I am with Elven/Bretonnian lore, so thinking up a backstory for this is something I'll postpone. However, I LOVE how this thing turned out. Designer's notes from White Dwarf taught me that the Ripperdactyl was partially based on a goldfish, so I took that further and tried to pattern the wing membranes similar to a koi carper. It didn't QUITE turn out the way I had hoped, but when viewed from a distance it's certainly not bad. (And let's be honest... on the gaming table no one is gonna bend down, look at your minis under a magnifying glass, and point out you missed a spot.) Not to mention that the Ripperdactyl is REALLY badass and I'm VERY pleased with how Citadel's 'blood paint' looks post-application.

Overall: not something I'd send in for The Fang, but to command a Lizardmen army or at least a group of Ripperdactyl Riders, these are more than satisfactory results.

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After what has to be a couple of months of not working on them at all, I've finally, FINALLY finished my Glade Rider regiment.

The Silverhooves
A regiment I plan to use as Core in every army list based on my Silverstag Kinband from now on, these are a unit of ten Glade Riders, which is the maximum allowed, and pack a Command Group. Fast Cavalry can serve a variety of roles, but I'm mostly impressed by the range these guys have- they have 9 inch movement and 30 inch reach with their longbows, meaning they can get a volley in just about anywhere on the battlefield within two turns, tops. In-character I don't have too much information about these guys specifically- they're the kinband's designated core cavalry.

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You'll notice the Glade Rider in the middle is blonde instead of white-haired and bears a sword instead of a readied bow. That's because the middle front is the regiment Champion, a special model that represents the leader/captain of the squad and has at least one stat a point higher than the rank-and-file. This one in particular is Horsemaster Daiyani, who gets higher Ballistic Skill and thus a higher hit rate with the bow than her subordinates. I have yet to name her horse, though... To set her apart from the others, I gave her blonde hair, a sword, and a more ornate cape.

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Hoo boy do I have updates for you. My birthday was this Monday and I’ve gotten plenty of money to buy hobby stuff with. Additionally, I finished two important characters for my Wood Elf army. I’ll make an additional post after this one about my upcoming projects, too, so there’s a LOT of info to process today.

Princess Aelthryn
Aelthryn is the current leader of the Silverstag Kinband, who came into power when her brother Tharien was chosen to join the Wild Riders. She is not a gifted physical warrior, but is particularly in tune with the forest and its magic. Aelthryn is a level 2 Spellsinger, using the Wood Elves’ unique spells, and is equipped with a variety of magical items that help her shield the army from hostile spells:
- The Earthing Rod allows Aelthryn to re-roll on the Miscast table, to decide the consequences of her miscasting a spell. Can be used to avoid disaster. One use only.
- The Shielding Scroll on her hip allows her to give a targeted unit a 4+ ward save against an enemy spell, instead of trying to dispel it. One use only.
- The Seed of Rebirth in her circlet doesn’t do anything for her magic, but gives her a much-needed Regeneration save. It only activates on the roll of a 6, but can make the difference between life or death.

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Prince Fataris
Fataris is Aelthryn’s husband and de facto leader of the Silverstag kinband- in fact, due to how the rules work he is also the general of the army, unless Tharien joins. Whereas most Wood Elves are archers, Fataris is a Wardancer; he has no skill with a bow, instead toting a sword around with which he can bring swift and graceful death to a high number of enemies. To be exact, Fataris carries the Blade of Loec, which gives him an additional attack on his profile and an additional point of strength whenever he charges, like any normal Wardancer Weapon. However, the Blade of Loec additionally allows him to re-roll all his failed To Wound rolls, meaning I get a second chance to dish out the hurt. This combined with the Shadow Dances of Loec (which add another attack, a usually instant-kill on the roll of a 6, a 4+ ward save, or Always Strikes First depending on which I choose to use), this makes him a force to be reckoned with.

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Birthday round-up
As stated, I was given a good deal of money for my birthday. I haven’t spent all of it with reckless abandon, though- I’m expecting both Wood Elves and my to-be secondary army, Bretonnia, to be re-released this year and I will need money to buy those Army Books; especially since I want the limited edition one for Wood Elves and that one’s twice the price of a normal one. However, I HAVE bought three things that I’ve been eyeing for a little while now.



First is Trollslayer, a novel by William King. Some of you may have heard me rambling about King and his novels before- I’m a big fan of his Tyrion & Teclis series, and his Daemonslayer is the novel that got me reading again. Daemonslayer is actually the THIRD novel in the Gotrek & Felix series, which is THE Warhammer Fantasy series that a lot of writers have been using recently, but Trollslayer, the first, was recently re-released as a Black Library Classic. The concept is simple: Felix Jaeger, a poet and noble of the Empire, swears a drunken oath to Gotrek Gurnisson, the Dwarf Slayer, that he will follow the Dwarf and record his death in an epic poem. Needless to say, Felix gets plenty of opportunity and reason to regret this decision.

Second is Orion: Tears of Isha, the second novel in the Orion trilogy by Darius Hinks. Corruption strikes the magical forest of Athel Loren and disturbs the ritual of Orion’s rebirth, making him even more terrifying and unstable than he usually is, which doesn’t help if he’s to weed out said corruption. I don’t yet know what part two will contain exactly, but I know who the traitor is and I’m hoping they’ll meet the fury of Kurnous before Orion is laid to rest. I greatly enjoyed the first novel, Vaults of Winter, and I’m expecting Hinks will keep that up in Tears of Isha.

Last is the only miniature I’ve ordered, and the eponymous hero of the aforementioned trilogy: Orion, the King in the Woods. I plan to paint and re-paint the entire Wild Hunt section of my Wood Elf collection over the course of the upcoming months now that I have him. For those of you who have no clue what I’m going on about: the next post will explain all, including who Orion is.

Note: Since I’m posting this RIGHT after my last update, you may not have seen Aelthryn, Fataris, and my birthday gifts. Be sure to check out the last post.

So, those of you who have spoken to me about my Warhammering this week have probably heard some variation of this sentence: My Orion came in, so I’m on a bit of a Wild Hunt painting frenzy. But since very few of you are into Warhammer and even less into Fantasy, I’m sure many of you who HAVE heard me say this may be wondering: Who the hell is Orion, and what even IS the Wild Hunt? I thought I’d explain, especially since it’s going to make up much of my upcoming posts.

Orion and The Wild Hunt
The short version
Orion is the king of the Wood Elves and avatar of the God of the Hunt, Kurnous. He perishes each year as autumn turns to winter, but when winter turns to spring he is reborn and in midsummer he leads the Wild Hunt, which comes down to a huge horde of Elves, woodland creatures, and Forest Spirits crashing through the forest butchering everything they come across in a contagious frenzy.

The long version
Warhammer Elves worship an entire pantheon of gods, but between Dark, High, and Wood Elves, the exact hierarchy of these gods varies. While the High Elves of Ulthuan revere the Creator Asuryan above all, for the Wood Elves two other gods are the most important: Isha, the Mother, and Kurnous, the Hunter. Both have an avatar living amongst the Wood Elves: The Fey Queen Ariel is the avatar of Isha, whereas her consort Orion is the avatar of Kurnous.

Orion is a demigod, living amongst his subjects from the first day of spring until the last day of autumn. He is tended by his priests, the Wild Riders of Kurnous. From their midst, every year one elf is chosen who will undergo a hidden ritual on the night that winter turns to spring. No one knows what this ritual entails, but during it the Wild Rider’s identity is lost and he becomes Orion, both his mind and his body changing entirely. Much like Orion himself, the Wild Riders are no longer altogether Elf, and are both revered and feared by the other Wood Elves.

Every spring, a Wild Rider becomes Orion, but every winter, he must perish. After midsummer, his strength slowly wanes, until the Wild Riders stoke a fire that turns his body to ashes; these ashes are then stored by Fey Queen Ariel until they are used in the spring ritual of his rebirth.

On Midsummer, Orion leads the Wild Hunt that is one of the first things many think of when they hear Wood Elves. He is the avatar of the God of the Hunt, and thus filled with a boundless strength and undying fury, a fury which spreads to the Wild Riders. As Orion sounds the Horn of the Hunt, he and his priests begin their violent hunt, crashing through the magical forest looking for prey and tearing it apart. Forest Spirits and woodland creatures alike get caught up in this, as the Fury of Kurnous is contagious.

In novels and games alike, the Wild Hunt is often used as a weapon of sorts, for once it breaks out it can turn a losing battle completely upside down. I think it’s easily one of if not the most defining thing about Wood Elf society, and Games Workshop offers several miniatures that pertain to it. For starters, there is a miniature of King Orion, the avatar of Kurnous, the Hunter. In addition, the Wild Riders are represented in the range and army list, as the hard-hitting melee-based cavalry of the army. Lastly, there’s a Wood Elf Lord on Great Stag that can be added to them; a character must be made a Wild Rider before he can take a Great Stag for a mount. In addition to these clearly Wild Hunt-focused miniatures, there are several others that can be moulded, either by special rules or with background, to fit the concept, such as the
Lord on Elven Steed which can simply be made a Wild Rider.

I actually own several of these miniatures: I bought Orion with money that I got for my birthday, and I’ve had a rank of Wild Riders for a long time now. Recently, just before my birthday, I also bought a Lord on Great Stag to serve as a centerpiece to my armies. While I can’t make an entire Wild Hunt-based army list with what I have, it’s a nice START to one, and the Wild Riders and Lord on Great Stag can be used in ‘normal’ armies too.

So that’s what you can expect from me for the coming few months: My Lord on Great Stag, who goes by the name of Prince Tharien and is Aelthryn’s elder brother, my regiment of Wild Riders whom I’ve re-undercoated and am re-painting while I wait for the layers on Tharien to dry, and finally, King Orion himself. I should note that I also own a Lord on Elven Steed, but seeing as I only have one regiments worth of Wild Riders, I will use him in my Glade Riders instead, meaning he is not a Wild Rider.

Lock your doors and windows. You never know if the Wild Hunt will leave the forest and crash through your village.