UPDATE: Leonardo Da Vincent's Farseers...

Well, my mate Vincent (Duskfrost - CMON, WAU) down in Adelaide certainly has a knack for lifting my spirit on a Monday. I woke to find an email with the latest drool worthy photos, containing a group shot with 4 of the 20 Farseers completed so far and the most recent addition - A Lava themed Farseer.

First, the group shot...

Up close and personal with the Lava Farseer;

... And of course the finished Frost Farseer;

So as you can see, things are looking very tidy - very much starting to get a mental picture of how these are going to look as a group on the Eldar table currently under commission by Elliot at CustomTerrain.net

... And the winners are! (Titan Scenic Base)...

Leading the tally for the Titan scenic base wreckage is the Chaos Thunderhawk Gunship, closely followed by the Brass Scorpion.

 So where too from here? Well, for one I now have to order them over the next couple of months in prep for January/February when the first of the Phantom Titans begin work.

At present, Luke from The Sound of Machines is currently working on one of my Phoenix Bombers to see what can be done paint wise and how the scheme may work. Once that has been sorted out, i'll be able to shoot over part of the wrecked Thunderhawk Gunship, which hopefully will be in my possession by then.

The idea i've been mulling over is breaking the Thunderhawk into two pieces, so the front end is used on one base, and the rear on another. I think a couple of Fire Dragons and perhaps an Autarch nearby would work well. I'm pretty much sold on the Armorcast cinematic effects for the Exarch's Dragon Breath Flamer bellowing into the torn opening of the Thunderhawk... for a Sunday roasting of sorts.

Now, which Chaos brass to purchase for "Chaos'ing" up the Thunderhawk... may need another poll.

Quick Update...

Hi all, just a quick one as to how things are progressing so far, with some major updates coming in the next few weeks;

1. Axiom from Warseer has sent me some very rare items that will be getting only the best love and attention they deserve. The Dawn of War Farseer and two Warlocks finished by Shane Hoyle (oh and a lovely Webway portal from the original Dawn of War PC game... mmmmmm). Axiom also included a sensational Eldar casualty sculpt (1 of 10 cast) which has a very distinctive Exodite look about it - Objective marker here we come!

2. The first of two boxes arrived from the US (via my good mate and personal man whore Dave). I will retrospectively update with photos when I get my rear into gear. Included were both Limited Edition Eldar books (core and Iyanden) in all their overpriced dust cover glory. As a collector that was the ONLY justifiable reason to buy these at that price - i'm still a little guilty about it honestly. One look at the four Wraithknights kinda takes me to a happy place though - such gorgeous models.

3. Luke & Adam from The Sound of Machines have completed the Eldar Jetbikes (Warlocks and Shining Spears), with adjustments etc - and they look the ducks nuts. Spirit Seers are also sorted out I believe :) with two more to be sent over very soon (to round numbers up to 50).

4. Navin over at PaintedFigs.com has kicked off the approved Dire Avenger paint scheme, so we should be seeing 70 of those little buggers sorted out soon... with another 30 to be sent over in batch two! Stay tuned, Jes Goodwin Jetbikes, GW Shining Spears and Swooping Hawks to come ;)

5. Elliot has also got back to me earlier today with budget details and a kickoff date (1st of December). The project is now locked in, deposit paid and purchasing process for materials underway - http://www.customterrain.net/6x8-eldar-planetscape.html

6. And my good mate Clinton back North has also advised me the tanks are now well under way, thing having settled down :) So we shall see some solid armour very soon to accompany all the foot sloggers. What can I say, the lad loves an airbrush and does VERY neat work. Upon the arrival of second said box from the US, he will be getting a mother load of plastic crack in payment. Clinton, soon you will have a Tau army reminiscent of its former glory!... and Necrons... and Dark Eldar... and Grey Knights... oh my.

Stay tuned for photos of completed items, general eye candy and plans for the next round of goodness. Things sure are screaming along now and holding pace.

Leonardo Da Vincent - Tau Battlesuit

Ok, ok... I know this isn't Eldar related in any way shape or form. However, given the talent gone into this piece, plus the fact Vincent is doing such a stand up job on the HQ miniatures i've sent his way, I had to give "mad props" and "street cred" to his latest personal work - a Tau Battlesuit.

... i'll stop jabbering and let you all drool over this work of art...

PS: If you're reading this Vincent, your talent it so good it makes me sick - i'm questioning my own existence.

Custom Eldar Table - Update

Recently, I heard back from Elliot over at CustomTerrain.net regarding my very dodgy sketch attempts at a layout for the double sized custom Eldar table. Suffice to say the man is a genius with taking concepts and transforming them into workable ideas of art (even at this early stage).

The level of detail and blending of ideas has some a fair way in a short time. Whilst Elliot is busy knocking over other projects (it's a busy time of year for him), we've been doing the back and forth thing to settle on a final concept before the work kicks off.

I've attached a couple of his far superior sketched images below, however if you want to see the full concept description and images, please visit the link at the bottom of this post;

Elliot's full culmination of this concept dialogue can be found here.

... WIP Updates ahoy!...

Well things have been a little slow this last week (work being work and a media server crapping itself during a rebuild to blame), so I thought i'd post an update.

I have updates from 3/4 commissioned artists, each are WIP, so please understand they're not the finished products :)

First up, Vincent (aka Duskfrost) with Farseer number 3 of 20 aka the Frostseer. Each Farseer will have different elements painted on their respective cloak (with the exception of the Whiteseer, that will be something else entirely);

 

Meanwhile, Navin over at Paintedfigs.com has had his lads working on the Dire Avenger concept - the first he admitted was a bit rushed just to see if the colours would work, the rest will be a bit tidier, but i'm loving the theme starting to really come out in the army now;

And last but not least, an update on the Jetbike Warlocks and Shining Spears from Luke & Adam at The Sound of Machines! There are one or two bits left to go (a blue energy stripe down each side of the length on the canopy). I've not seen the finished Spirit Seers yet, however they were much the same as previous Warlocks, so i'll leave them up to your imagination;

And a group shot just for good measure ;)

 More goodies to come in the next few weeks!

... More rare items!...

It never ceases to amaze me how many interesting folks you run into in this hobby, even the more extreme ones like myself with rare collectables.

Oddly enough, though purchasing an item on eBay, I made contact with a fellow enthusiast with a mate just as nuts (for the rare/unreleased/custom things of Elven kind). He has subsequently offered to sell me a couple of custom items that I wasn't previously aware of - yup, it certainly is a good Friday here. So without further ado;

Custom Dawn of War Farseer...

And, a custom Eldar Dawn of War Webway Gate...

Perhaps I should celebrate by going into a Games Workshop store after work... Do you think they'd let me get past the front door?

... UPDATED: Jetbike Warlock sneak peak...

Early this morning I had an email from Luke over at The Sound of Machines telling me the Jetbikes have been done - along with an MMS sneak peak, top shot of the finished Warlock. Luke has mentioned there will be more piccies to come in the afternoon, so stay tuned for the rest of them.

Very much liking the work on the canopy!

I'm also told the Shining Spears are completed as well, so those bad boys will be posted up here as well; in total there are 27 Shining Spears, 10 Warlocks and 4 Spirit Seers - Bwahahaha indeed.

Can't wait to mount these lads on the stands that turned up from Back to Base-ix . I will note, the nature of laser cutting had the stands smelling like the amazon had been burned to the ground, probably a good idea to throw them into some warm soapy water to help kill the smell and remove the laminate from both sides of the acrylic - if anyone is looking to buy some!

Update: Here is a quick pic of the Jetbike Warlock and Spirit Seer, some very small alterations happening in the next week or so (Shining Spears and a little bronze for the Jetbike Turbines), updates as they become available :)

... A new shipment: Teaser of what's to come...

Well my "crack" dealer in the US got in touch a couple of hours ago with a lovely image, posted to my facebook wall. So I thought it was only fair I share the "goods" with you all... amongst other things, consider this an "over share" if you like. You've been warned.

I think the sad part is that not everything FIT in this photo, there are still collectors edition books (including the Apoc kit) that can't be seen here. Yes, I may have a problem...

Whilst the Eldar stuff is mine, however the Tau/Dark Eldar/Grey Knights/Necrons etc is actually off to my painter up North in Queensland - as payment for working on the tanks/vypers/hornets/walkers/lords etc. Good times indeed!

Love you long time Dave "Heisenberg", thank you for supplying this Aussie with some of the finest crack since 2007.

... Mr.Squiggle up in this b*&$h...

Today I surprised myself by drawing out some concept designs for the commissioned Eldar table. Keep in mind i'm proud as punch having done this, as previously i'd have required a lay down (and counting to 10). Artistic is something I am not.

Elliot over at CustomTerrain.net emailed me last night with some ideas as to how the board/terrain can be tackled. I have to say he has put some good ideas forward. At this stage, the table will be six boards 2 foot by 4 foot in dimension. The configuration is in 8x6, however given the modularity allowed, any shape can be formed - even a 12x4 for those extra long face off style battles.


So far the following has been mulled over;

Overall the modular board set goes something a little like this... Excuse the dodgy sketching.

Board 1 - Two levels, ground with sloping ramp leading up to a landing platform stemming out from the level 1 cliff face.

Board 2 - Not really worked out as of yet, this is up in the air and may be fairly plain overall.

Board 3 - A level one board with recessed dry riverbed, complete with a large Wraithbone bridge around 8" in width. The riverbed itself leading into an underground cave.

Board 4 - A giant Eldar Mosaic, with magnets placed at certain points to allow "Snap in" structures. More specifically, Webway gates of 30" and 8" in height - yes, large enough to allow a Phantom through, amongst other "up in the air" concepts.

Boards 5 & 6 - A level 1 to 3 in height board (with a substantially high ridge at the back) reminiscent of the giant rock spire/canyons seen in the US. Basically level 1 and 2, with a very high level 3 viewpoint at the top - perfect as a ridge for Flyers to come over during their bombing runs.

So that should give a rough idea of the boards, however there are of course a few Eldar terrain pieces being discussed (as mentioned in the previous update regarding this commission). The good news is the "resin" portal for the Webway gates is doable, something which i'll be keen on seeing!

... Quick update & promos...

Well this week certainly has been eventful!

Luke & Adam over at The Sound of Machines, have been busily working away at getting my Jetbikes (Warlocks, Shining Spears) sorted out, along with a handful of Spirit Seers - Expect piccies in the next few days or so. Luke has also generously offered to do up a wargaming table for regular play that I intend to store at work (for Pizza/Beer nights). One of the lads (Rob H) from back in my home state has also offered to part with three tables worth of terrain for these games - which should see us have buckets of variety! You might say the standard gaming stuff is now sorted out :)

*Plug - If you would like to meet the boys in person or discuss commissions, they will be out at the Grand Opening for Game Traders this weekend at Penrith (see image below);

Meanwhile, in the Northern Hemisphere, Navin over at PaintedFigs.com has had his colleague Anuruddha working on a Dire Avenger sample. Anuruddha is the lad that did the Warp Spider and Fire Dragon samples that I pretty much approved on sight, so i'm looking forward to seeing what he has put together. Also, the Jes Goodwin Jetbike sculpts turned up, so in the next couple of months we may see the sample images of those as well, I have it on good authority that the resin used was the best Navin has ever seen with hardly any cleanup required at all - stay tuned!

Oh and the Warp Spiders and Fire Dragons are on their way home as well - I seriously need to start thinking about foam trays to store these guys in pronto.

Also up North, on a different continent, my good mate Fireman Dave (Yes ladies, he's a Fireman, hold onto your panties though, he's taken) is in packing mode to ship the recent Eldar goodies (and Limited Edition books) Down Under. Big props to you lad :)

Closer to home, Vincent (aka Duskfrost) has just advised me the Scibor scenic bases have turned up, so expect an Avatar and Wraithseer mounted on those bad boys around the end of the year.

I have to throw in a plug for Back to Base-ix having their 50% off sale this week only on acrylic flying stands. They include the magnets as well if anyone is interested in popping over. I splashed out given it was an all in one solution with a choice of plastic colours (I still went clear). The Universe must have been listening as I was browsing their products on Saturday, only to find out this gem following day or so. Life savers indeed. The promo code is facebook001 used at checkout.

At this point it also looks like the Brass Scorpion is in the lead for the Phantom Titan scenic base project, so get your votes in before the timer clocks out :)

The previous poll results have also indicated you want pretty pictures, and pretty pictures you shall have - just need a few days until Adam's Jetbikes are sorted out and the goodies from Sri Lanka arrive... squee indeed.

... Commissioned Custom Eldar Table...

Today I heard back from Elliot at Custom Terrain with regard to a completely Eldar themed table and matching scenery. From the sounds of things, Elliot has been keen to do an Eldar themed set for some time, which was music to my ears. So what did we talk about you ask? Well we are still nutting out the details, but here is the gist;

1. Theme - Being a desert/desolate former Maiden World now turned to dust (perfect for my Warhost to pick through in their search for goodies of the past). Currently it looks to be eight 2x2 feet sections, which may just expand to 12 sections (given the size of the Warhost that has to fit on it!).

2. Table - The general theme was akin to a desert with patches of sand (small nodes blown/formed by the wind) with parts of Eldar Wraithbone mosaics sticking through where the sand/dirt has been blown clear by passing wind. Along with the odd Wraithbone shards and/or spires poking through for good measure. A recessed meeting point was also discussed in the email reply, so we shall see what Elliot thinks. I sent him this photo as an example of what I was looking for theme wise on the board.

*Note: Naturally, credit to the artist who created this artwork - it truly is inspiring.

3. Terrain pieces - I've passed on examples of the Dawn of War II Eldar buildings as their aesthetic was very pleasing to the eye and shows a true polished Wraithbone accent to the design. This is something i've not been able to find ANYWHERE on the internet (photograph wise). I've asked for Webway gates with open resin/water effect portals - yes this isn't a half measures thing we're talking about.

Of course, as I like the artist to have some say, i've asked for Elliot's thoughts about what he feels can be done for the remaining pieces (where i've provided references and linked this blog). It's only fair that if the poor bugger is doing all the work he gets to have fun with it in the process!

Stay tuned for updates as this unfolds, i'm really looking forward to seeing how this all goes.

... Eldar Aegis & Quad Turret...

Almost forgot this little gem. For those of you out looking for an Eldar styled Aegis barrier and matching quad turret that has the same dimensions as the Imperial versions (without breaking the army theme), Mr.Dandy over at Wargamma has created the following;

Of course, Mr.Dandy also does sets for the other races as well (I picked up a Tyranids set at the same time).

... Shining Spears & Jetbike Warlocks Underway!...

The boys (Luke & Adam) over at The Sound of Machines have been pretty busy lately. One thing that boggles the mind is how fast they can churn the miniatures out!

As you're all aware (ok, maybe not), Sunday just passed I dropped a bunch of Non-GW Shining Spears and Jetbike Warlocks over to Luke (amongst other things *wink wink, nudge nudge*). What I didn't anticipate was how quickly they've jumped into the squads - The lads are working on a bucketload of Space Marines as well, so perhaps it just helps break things up a tad.

Yesterday Luke posted these piccies up for all to see, however I thought i'd drop them here to showcase how quickly they get stuck into their work - and lovely work it is indeed from what I can see.

First up, Jetbike Warlocks (with a few Spirit Seers in the background who will join the Warlocks);

And the Shining Spears;

... Dilema - Titan Scenic Base...

Given the first of eight Titans begins construction in November over at The Sound of Machines, it got me thinking about what to do regarding scenic bases for such grand Warmachines.

I've decided that each should have their own somewhat unique base, with the natural choices being of the following races;

*Note: All images below are copyright of Games Workshop and Forgeworld respectively. They are only shown here for illustrative purposes to assist with visualising how they may look torn asunder at the base of an Eldar Titan ;)

1. Chaos - Reaver (or Warhound) Titan parts scattered on the base, Brass Scorpion STOMPED into the ground.

2. Necrons - Monolith or Tesseract sliced apart, Pylon cleaved in two.

3. Nids - Heirophant mulched into the ground

4. Imperial Armour Super Heavy Tanks - Sliced and diced... but which one?

5. Imperial/Chaos Thunderhawk - You get the gist...