So without further ado;
1. Why did you decide to only collect one army?
Well I never intended it to start out that way, back in 1996/97 I had what was known as a Crusade army, comprising of all four primary loyalist chapters back then (that Codex material was available for) - Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Space Wolves. It wasn't until late in 1997 that I bought a bunch of Eldar as part of an allied contingent I thought I needed, as they were the fastest cats on the block.
As for why I chose to collect them, well I found their play style to be "my style", as I didn't care much for crazy armour or forgiving dice rolls - I wanted my tactical prowess to do the safe keeping, and not be reliant on dice rolls. The aesthetics were nicer than the blocky looking Marines... frankly, the models offered a substantial amount of diversity in both looks and play style. In a word - Addiction.
2. With so many models, how did you prepare or figure out what you needed?
To be honest, it was half driven by Epic, half driven by the Force Organisation Chart (FOC). I knew for super heavies, most of those in Epic came in detachments of three or so, which is what I worked from and why there are so many now. As for the general Eldar miniatures, it was a case of taking each type and buying as many as I could take per FOC... then when I found I had extras, decided to fill those out as squads. It didn't help that I found extra model types (such as the Jetbikes I have) which meant there would be multiples of those eventually.
3. I love those Jetbikes (The Jes Goodwin resculpts and the Warlocks), where can I get them?!
This is asked ALOT, and honestly, I drip feed this information out as to protect the people that do make them. I don't want my mates being compromised because their kits are too widely in the public eye. From time to time I will be notified if more are being cast up (the guys get busy with daily life) and dish out the information in kind. Please don't ask here or post details to their where abouts, as I will remove it from the comments - I would imagine its better to drip feed than see the guys close up shop due to GWs IP hammer no?
4. Do you have a full army shot?
Short answer, no. This blog is to log the progress of the Warhost, so no, it isn't finished yet. I expect it will be pretty close in about 18-24 months from now. Yep, there is alot to go, i'm only 1/3rd of the way through roughly.
5. What other plans do you have for the army?
Glad you asked, I have a list of unique features I want to add in addition to the models;
A) A full leather bound history of the Craftworld, including commissioned artwork and photos of the painted miniatures of the Warhost.
B) Enough display case room to house the full army.
C) A one off sculpt for the army based on the Craftworld background - until this is well underway I won't be divulging the details except to prospective sculptors :) sorry kids.
D) A full video detailing the Craftworld miniatures and how I managed to come across them over the years, including details of theme selection etc.
E) Customised templates and dice (ok, got the dice, and I know a guy who knows a guy for the templates).
6. Will you ever stop?
Well, to be honest, i've kind of stopped now, with the exception of a few rare items that will be picked up over time and of course any new kits that are released to keep the collection complete. My hope is that in two years time the Warhost will be as complete as it can be at that point in time.
7. Have you thought about adding Exodites?
*snickers* Yes, yes I have. And I do plan on adding a 5k contingent force of them in the future. If places like Forgeworld keep releasing kits like that Lizardmen Dino recently, i'll be more inspired to complete the project... after I get the current Warhost under control :)
8. What about Dark Eldar?
Never say never. In all honesty, the models are gorgeous, and I may add them later on if I find someone ditching their collection cheaply. As I have a hate of Finecast, I would only be persuaded to buy them if mostly metal or plastic. A 5k force would be nice, which isn't hard to obtain these days.
Food for thought, including the Exodites, that would take the full collection to 100k.
9. Will you ever play using the entire Warhost?
I would like to one day, however i'd need a good dozen Eldar veterans to assist, moving well over 2000 miniatures is no small task. We will see though... if it does happen, i'll be sure to get a good videographer in to record the whole thing to say it actually happened ;)
10. How much did all this cost you?
For the sake of saving my parents and significant other a heart attack, i'll just say that i've only paid a fraction of the RRP over the years by buying from overseas discounters, second hand sites and 3rd party sellers. Even adding in the cost of commission painting, I dare say the full Warhost is much less than the standard RRP. There is a lot of complaining about prices, and I do agree they (GW) have dug themselves a hole by their trade practice, there are most definitely ways around it if you want to protect your investment (if already a collector) or start up an army if just getting into the game.
11. Is this the worlds largest Eldar collection?
To be honest, I don't know. I think anyone can proclaim to have a large army, or even that theirs is the worlds largest - honestly, anyone who claims this themselves has quite an ego. I'd like to think it definitely is up there, and I do have a feeling it is one of the few documented as such. Over the years i've looked around and heard chatter about 80k+ Warhosts, however i've never seen photos or anything other than lip service. That's fine though, I don't expect anyone to prove themselves, although it does make such a claim very difficult to believe (refer to previous ego boosting comment).
12. What do you think about the recent Eldar domination at tournaments?
Over the years i've noticed a trend, there are the players who enjoy an army's play style because that's how they roll, and there are the competitive players who will play what ever the current meta offers in terms of a "nuke button". As the editions roll over, and new Codex books drop, this will change - it just so happens that Eldar are having a second hay day. The last time they were this powerful was back in 2nd Edition, where an Eldar army could reliably roll any enemy force without so much as a scratch... believe me I had a few battles like this. It doesn't bother me, except for the bad press Eldar get as an army, just give it a couple of years and there will be something new to hate on.
