Topic: Returning to Warhammer...(20/08/14: Greatswords Redux)

[Yara]

Hello all,

After a long absence, I've finally taken the plunge and decided to start building up a Warhammer army again. The last one I had was a 3rd Edition Wood Elf force, so it's really been some time!

I've always had a fondness for the Empire, probably brought on by too many trips to Central Europe, and so I invested in the old 6th Edition boxed game. Since then, I've been adding bits and pieces here and there - as I don't want to blow the budget, that's been mainly when I've seen some good deals on eBay.

I've finally got to the point where I've painted enough to make it worth-while posting. Inspired by the many excellent examples on this site (particularly warhammerlord_soth), I plumped for a Reikland theme.

As it's been some years since I last picked up a brush in anger I'd welcome any comments and suggestions you might have.....spaceships and tanks don't have faces!!

To start with, the general (sporting a slight head-wound):


The first unit I painted - some Huntsmen (I started these back when they had longbows!). I'm particularly fond of the old chap and his faithful mutt in the front:


And the first formed regiment I've completed.....having read a bit more, I think the next lot will be Swordsmen! Halberdiers are soooo Empire-y, though:



The cannon, with crew proudly arrayed in front:



And finally, what I'm currently working on at the moment. These old 5th Edition Bretonnians were too cheap to pass up, and with the addition of some bits found in my FLGS I'm aiming for a Knights Panther-y look:


Hopefully, putting them up here will encourage me to finish them! I wished I'd painted the insides of the horses before I stuck them to the bases though.....

Yara

[PissedYeti]

Good work on the painting but I have to ask ... Those knights legs? They look short to me.

[Yara]

Now you mention it, those legs do look rather odd......particularly on the sword-wielding champion.....

It might be the figure. They're a one-piece model with a fairly bulky torso as they're wearing tabards over their plate armour, which could make their legs look shorter.

It could also be the perspective in the photo - they appear to be the same length as the legs on my General (which came from the Empire Knightly Orders sprue).

I'm now extra keen to get them painted so I can see how they photograph again.....

[brother ducat]

Think you will find the legs look odd because bretonians seem to have a penchance for long shoes(clowns???). Noticed this on a couple of the bodys i have laying about the other night strangely enough.

The paint work is looking good Yara. White is always an impressive colour when it works, like yours has.

[Wyzer1]

Returning to Warhammer

oooo, bad decision...

starting out with the Empire...

better decision...

lol, anyways nice minis 

[Fandir Nightshade]

Nice Army

Nice Paintjob

keep it up 

[Soju]

Pretty good looking army so far man.

Welcome back to the hobby!

I think the halberdier unit look great in their dirty whites, but their standard is... WAY too clean lol. But that's not really a problem at all - its just me being a picky pickle.

Huntsman with the cloak looks really in character; and the dog just tops it off - it is the dog from Bret sprue... eh?

Your general is a great example of how 6th edition plastic sprues can still produce really tough as hell heroes.

Cannon is good too.

The knights; I stopped using the mono bret knights because they were so weird lol. Those legs do look really short - but... I'm not sure if mine looks that short in real life? Maybe its the photo... or its some kind of conversion?! lol.

I think thats a good idea for the Knights Panther though, fits in with their 'crusade to the Araby' fluff...

Cannot wait for them to be finished as well as anything else of your army you complete.

Welcome again to the hobby and the forums!

sj

[Yara]

Thanks everybody for the encouraging replies....it's always a little nerve-wracking the first time you post your work on a public forum!

I'm not a particularly quick painter, so a major attraction of the Reikland scheme was its relative simplicity. I base coated white, washed on Vallejo brown ink (including skin areas) and then gave it a heavy dry-brush of GW Bleached Bone. That seems to give a nice amount of shading to the puffy sleeves, and gets the "white uniform stained by months of hard campaigning" look that I wanted....

Soju, I know what you mean about the standard. I think I may have to treat it in the same way as the uniforms to make it look a little less pristine. I wanted to avoid it blending in with the main body too much, though....my intention is to invest in some of Imperial Forge's decals to put a design on it as my freehand really isn't up to scratch.

And you're right - the dog is from the Bret Men at Arms sprue. I added a few other bits from there to the Huntsmen as well, like the captured rabbit and bird. It's a good source of little extra bits like that to give that irregular look that suits Huntsmen, I think.

[Yara]

Hi all,

Just a small update as I haven't yet finished those Knights Panther pictured above. I don't know, for some reason I've yet to really get into them....

Instead, I've painted this chap:



I really prefer these old 6th Edition Warrior Priests to the newer ones - there just seems to be something grittier about them!

Close up photography is unforgiving, isn't it? I had no idea there were brush-marks like that on the front of the slottabase 

Cheers,

Yara

[stareso]

That is my favorite warrior priest as well
The rest of the army is looking nice! I like your lengthened halberds (made them from the spearmen I guess?).

Your cannon looks a bit too shiny though I think, I prefer drybrush but inking is ok as well (flesh wash on gold is great). Crew looking good!

[Yara]

I know what you mean about the shiny cannon - I was hoping the wash would dull-down the Shining Gold, but it really hasn't. I think I may need to have another go at it....

In the mean-time, work has rather ground to a halt on the Knights Panther. I just can't seem to get into them...instead, my attention has been drawn to converting Greatswords. Many thanks to W-E.com member Spiderpig, for providing me with the spare feathers to adorn their hats:



And a couple of close-ups of the unit members:





Are these yet ready to go into the "Gathering of Greatswords" thread, do you think?

Cheers,

Yara

[Soju]

Looks like the pretty standard plastic-great-swords-kit-bashed-unit. (Damn that's a lot of dashes).

I like it so far.
Just slap'em on the GoG thread.

sj

[stareso]

Very nicely done, looking elite with the feathers. Slap on some paint first

[Yara]

Hi all!

Sorry for the delay in updating (and I hope this doesn't count as threadomancy) but starting a new job and moving home over the course of a month and a half has really cut into my painting time!

Just a small update, then...I've finally finished those Greatswords:





I'm afraid the Knights Panther are still stalled - but now it's due to the drying up of my Ultramarine Blue paint. I'd had that pot for over 10 years, so maybe it was time to buy a new one anyway....in the mean time, I'm working on some detachments (mainly Free Company) and then a big block of Swordsmen. Hopefully it won't be another three months before I have something else to show....

Yara

[Davo]

Wow Yara. You and I have a very simalar painting style to me. Those look awesome 

[Rorrak]

Close up photography is unforgiving, isn't it?

Aint that the truth. I just finished my outriders and got my wife to photograph them for posting.
The pictures told me that they were in fact not finished. lol.

Your army is keeping to a theme, I think thats what I like most about it. Its gritty and dirty but in a well painted way if you know what I mean.

That is until I saw that shiny white banner. I don't like that much. Yes perhaps I'm also being picky like Soju. I don't mind them being proud of their banner and looking after it. That makes sense but its too white compared to the unit.

[Yara]

Thanks for the replies, and for the compliments on my painting. I think I really need to work on faces - they're what gives models character, but mine are too plain at the moment....

I know exactly what you mean about the shiny white banner - it does need finishing. It's my intention to apply some Imperial Forge decals to it, when I finally get round to ordering some, and I'll then paint it a final colour. The unadorned Skull White is definitely too clean compared with the rest of the look! Perhaps just a light brown wash would take the edge off it....hmmm....perhaps I'll try that before I add anything else to it....

Cheers,

Yara

[Soju]

Oh damn they turned out great man.

sj

[Andreas Ringqvist]

Great looking stirlanders!

I think that the metal & white on the greatswords complements each other very well! How do you do the metal?

[CaptScott]

Well done on the greatswords (as well as the rest or your army).  I like the 'dark steel' look of the armour, and the old and new feathers went together nicely - I've been avoiding using both in the same unit for some reason but you've changed my mind 

[Yara]

The metal was straightforward: Chaos Black undercoat, base of Boltgun Metal and then a heavy Black ink wash. The ink I have is in an old container with a cracked lid and it seems to be slowly evaporating, which I think makes it slightly thicker and darker than normal ink without being as thick as paint 

Regarding the feathers: the standard bearer is probably the only figure who has both old and new on a single hat, but I do think they look OK together too. The new ones are much larger, though, so I kept them for use only on the elite regiment.

I'm planning a unit filler to bulk out the Greatswords by 4 bases (up to a unit of 15). Something which suggests "Stubborn"....but am currently waiting for one crucial piece. Perhaps by Christmas!

Cheers,

Yara

[scottishrocket]

those greatswords look awesome....

[ant7]

 I think your stuff looks great keep it coming I love watching new armies take shape and get painted! What color green did you use on those greatswords?

[David22]

That green.... This is the green ive been looking for !!!! How did you do it    

[Doop123]

good job.