Anyone would think this Craftworld was Iyanden...

Well, it certainly has been a while between drinks. To say the f*&ing least. Life, as it turns out, has a way of directing us regardless of our best intentions. Seriously, as the title states... its like a ghost army has been resurrected.

So, this post will go over what has been, where things are at and where they're going over the next four to five years. Yep, still got that long to go... in the immortal words of Idris Elba - Reset the clock.

The "Past"

What the hell happened, Dave? Seriously... What.. The.. F*&k... happened?!

Well, it goes a little something like this;

1. Kids - Had one to add to my "eBay Child". To say they're a handful is an understatement. Any parent knows this though. With them, come expenses... lots of expenses. Add in special needs... its a party.

2. Health dramas - We all have them, this is normal. Ours just came all at once. I won't lie, there was a moment where I probed for interest in selling the Warhost. Thankfully, it did not come to that, but it got very close.

3. House stuff - COVID-19 brought with it some pretty interesting changes, which we have all been affected by. Not least of this is working arrangements. To do this, some office/livability factors were required. It paid off, as I'm lucky enough to work for an organisation who have allowed me to work from home full time due to the life events that have transpired since 2017.

All of the above has added up to the Warhost coming a distant 20 something on the list of priorities.

 ... Yet, here we are, a couple of years on, still going ;) 

NB: I might have also invested in the Battletech Clan Invasion Kickstarter... my second love.

The "Present"

Fast forward to the present! Just what has been sent out? What came back? What's left to go?

1. HQ Models - All HQ models are with, or on their way back from either Vincent or Linford. And they look the ducks nuts.

As with myself, both Vincent and Linford have their lives and dramas to deal with as well, so the last are trickling in (Jetbikes an exception...) - More to come, stuffing about with a light box to get some "blog worthy" photos up.

2. Rogue Trader Models - As previously displayed on the blog, two solid boxes filled with metal were sent off to Arawn.. somewhere around 500+ including a few aspects from the Artel W range long over due for paint work. These have no deadline set, when they're done, they're done. This was batch 1 of 3.

*Note: This was just a small portion... almost 20kg of metal was sent off... I genuinely felt bad.

The "Future"

So what is left to go out?

1. Lots and lots of Wraith units. To the tune of about 150 or so... probably more.

2. A batshit insane amount of Jetbikes, both old and new, plus a few dozen Corsair units (60 or so). From memory, the Jetbikes alone in total came to over 500 in number, ranging from old GW sculpts, to Ghost Miniatures, etc.

3. Artel W Aspect and Ranger sculpts. Again, these match previous unit numbers, so generally that's 30 of each Aspect and 50 of the Ranger variety.

4. Armorcast... lots and lots of Armorcast. Wave Serpents, Tempests, Phantom Titan with all the mods, Revenants, prototype Bright Stallions... name it, minus one or two... its probably in there.

5. Forgeworld Super Heavy Tanks, both the MK1 and MK2 plus Lynx varieties. If memory serves correctly, there are around 30+ Warmachines all said and done across both ranges.

6. Miscellaneous add ins as they're released to market... this shitstorm never seems to end.

What awaits: The next four years...

So the light is finding its way to the end of the tunnel. As most of you know by now, especially commissioned artists and studios, I don't put deadlines on any of the works - this prevents the artists from getting burn out and also gives them flexibility to really shine when putting thought into the pieces.

*I will preface this in saying the below considers a time line of two years for the HQ/Titans, and 3-4 for everything else.

As most who follow this blog would have noticed, Vincent is getting out of the painting business and now well into sculpting miniatures for his business Limbo Miniatures. Seriously, check out his stuff, its jaw dropping.

What does this mean? Well, all the HQ models for the Eldar were his exclusively to manage, until now. The helm is being passed to Linford of Banshiek Miniature Painting (Brisbane, QLD) after seeing his incredible works with other Eldar commissions (seen below).

While a few miniatures are on their way back from Vincent, Linford will be taking up the helm in November on the next batch of 26.

Meanwhile, Clayton from Can Brush Studios (Toowoomba, QLD) will have his work cut out for him with doing detail/repair work on the Warmachines (some were severely damaged in transit, others will have the pilots and fine details attended to.

Over in Colorado, USA, Steve from Third Fate Creations will be kicking off work on the Armorcast Titans (Phantom, Warlock Class kit and Revenants).

In the background, and I owe this lad an apology for the delays of over two years (yeah, bad Dave), Arawn from Titan Miniatures will be taking care of a stupidly large amount of Wraith constructs, Jetbikes and Harlequins (don't worry... I won't be asking for all those diamonds, I'm not a sadist).

Warhost Display Cabinet - Almost complete...

Well, I now feel a little better that the doors are on - and little fingers can't create a hostage situation.

Have to say up front though that the remaining lights inside the cabinet aren't in yet (down and up firing to "fill" the case with light, not just the shelves). Still sourcing some 45 degree angle aluminium profiling to polish it all off yet.

Oh, and no, the ceiling isn't warped, that's just the camera on my phone being a dick... also with the lighting, but it gives you all some idea of what the Warhost will be housed in. Should only be about a month away from completion at this rate, then I'll begin sending out the remaining batches as I can afford to have them painted. With a newborn on the way, its going to get a bit tight for cash (it is already... but the spare room is now direly needed).

Without further ado, here are the piccies...

Lights, Camera...

Phase two complete... well almost. Lights have been added to the display case as the boxes are unpacked onto the shelves, which are filling up very quickly. Somehow, believe it or not the case will hold around 2400 miniatures - War Machines included. At the moment, there are roughly 1600 painted miniatures, with about 800 left (80% of those off to Titan Miniatures, with the remainder to my existing commissioned artists - the awesome bunch they are!).

I'll admit, the first time I flicked the lights on, it was in "disco" mode, which, had I been epileptic... I'd have been in serious trouble. Perfect if you like to break out the glow sticks and party hard though, which I've been told the Eldar do a little too well *cough*Slannesh*cough*.

One more strip along the top to get light down through the shelves and all will be ready for the glass doors - then the Titans can go up. For those of you shouting "why not now?!", if any of you have had little people in the house, you will know pretty things demand touching, and while mine is pretty good all said and told... I'd rather not play the role of hostage negotiator with one of a kind Titans ;)

And as a bonus round, I had a dig through all my old Armorcast stuff on the weekend - this is a small portion of it, however I thought it may be worthy of a photo (note, half the Phantom and its addon kit is at a mates place). Yes that kit at the front is the ultra rare Bright Stallion Knight prototype.

The Dras'Volharr - Permanent House Guests

*Updated! 20/03/2017

So I got sick of all the whining about "I can't see the TV", "Hey, Sputnik, got your head out of the way!", "Have you got any more snacks, or what?", deciding to build a display case in the living room... one where the aforementioned outbursts from the Dras'Volharr Craftworlders would be put to rest.

Somehow, in buying the house, I got lucky... and by lucky, I mean a double brick wall recess designed to hold over 100k of Eldar miniatures... seriously, its as if the space was destined for it. Guessing one of the Farseer's picked up on this upon inspection.

After 12 months, searching high and low for a builder to do the job, furniture stores who may have had a solution etc - I gave up and started looking into how I could do the job myself. Two months later, multiple trips to IKEA, Bunnings, Jaycar and making a few connections in China... all the parts are ready (or in transit).

*Many holes were drilled this day...

A wall space of 3.6m wide, 2.45 high and 55cm deep has been turned into an 8.1m2 display area. Each plexiglass shelf sporting its own LED strip lighting, wardrobe style glass lockable doors and storage space below and above for the full Warhost to be seen, oooh'ed and ahhhh'd over while playing Dawn of War 3 on the UHD TV (well... that's my nice little dream come April 27th).

*Note, the 4mm difference is now levelled... much grumpiness went into it

For a while now I've had people asking to see the full lot out on display and I've never had the space to do so... not to mention the time involved in unpacking so many miniatures - This is the kind of thing I'd like to limit in my lifetime. On the upside, it will give me back my fourth bedroom as a spare room, meaning if I've been naughty in buying the latest miniature for the Eldar collection I don't have to sleep on the couch haha (actually, I've never had this problem, bar the odd eye rolling moment).

*A Vampire Raider and Wraithknight for scale - Good times.

Ideally, I would like to have this all sorted out in the next month. With any luck, it will be ready before I kick off the next set of commissions with Titan Miniatures, so they have a space to return to once finished other than the back spare room!

And let's not forget Helge and the upcoming work for the battlescape... he has certainly not been forgotten in all of this ;)

Update: The shelves are now being populated!

Build it and they will come - A new unique sculpt

When you've got the bulk of prototype and unreleased miniatures in a collection, sometimes the next step is to start commissioning your own unique pieces to fill in the gaps.

Thanks to a friend of mine, I've been put in touch with a very talented individual who has taken on the job to do just that! A Mr Mariano Pagotti. Below is an example of his work with the Eldar's primary enemy;

So what is this gap filling piece you ask? Well, for now that's a bit of a secret - although as a hint, its a piece many Eldar players have wondered about for a good long while now. Let's just say it will have a nice little bit of back history in the Dras'Volharr tome once drafted.

On a side note, the display case is coming along nicely - having given up on the cabinet making industry, I decided to build it myself, for a total of 8.1 m2 of surface area over five shelves. The perks of building such a monster yourself is you can phase it in to suit a budget.

Very much looking forward to seeing the Warhost displayed on plexiglass LED lit shelving with the future intent of Mr.Helge's battle scape acting as a backdrop in due course.

Stay tuned, concept details to come over the next fortnight for this unique addition ;)

Eldar Hornets - Packing a sting

Just a little teaser of the most recent painted additions, twin Pulse Laser wielding Hornets. Who doesn't like the Vypers slightly bigger cousin packing twin f*&k off lasers? Actually my Vypers have been collecting a little dust, despite being the miniatures that got me into the game (along with the still very awesome Falcon - Style that has held up well over the past two decades).

 It has been a while between drinks, however progress is still happening in the background - albeit at a much slower rate until I get this shelving sorted out. The guest room is literally floor to ceiling with boxes of Eldar... not that I'm complaining mind you.

Stay tuned for more pretties over the coming months and hopefully a photo of a full wall of Dras'Volharr beasties.

Hibernation... And Dawn of War III

Well it has been a while since my last post here. With the new Dawn of War III announcement, I figured I best update this blog with where things are at. The project is still going, however buying a house and saving for display space has been prioritised before the rest is sorted out.

Let's just say a lot has been finished off in bulk, and the dilemma of storage has become a very real problem. Life naturally has jumped in the way and kept my bank balance from affording the built in display case... which will take up a space of 50cm D, 330cm W and 220cm High. Yep, lots of shelving with glass sliding lockable doors. Not exactly cheap, but far more cost effective than anything else out there.

Housing over 2200 miniatures is going to be an interesting feat to say the least, and given its in a darker spot of the house the shelves will need to be LED lit (hopefully in the Craftworld orange colours). No doing things by halves!

So what happens beyond this? Well, the rest of the beasties have been batched out to be sorted year on year until the project is done. Originally, the 20th anniversary date was slated for November 2017, although this may be the absolute earliest the Warhost is finished by.

Keeping in mind... there is an entire Harlequin contingent force yet to be dealt with... and those buggers are finicky to build let alone paint. I'm already dreading the repairs I have to do for the miniatures busted in transport... I may be a mad collector, however I'm not a mad modeler...

GW and FW need to lay off all the new Eldar stuff, I can't keep up at this pace unless someone has a winning lotto ticket laying around. If so, please get in touch.

For those of you who have missed it... here's the announcement trailer for Dawn of War III... keep an eye out for the Wraithknights of happiness around the 2 minute mark.

Are we there yet? - Half way point healthcheck

So Saturday brought with it an email of completion for the last batch of Aspects sent over to PaintedFigs.com - meaning the Warhost is now at 50% painted status. Yep, all the little buggers are done (spare a handful here and there), with vehicles and the remaining War Machines to go.

Granted updates will be probably monthly or two monthly from here on in, especially with this "getting settled" into the new house business (which hit my bank account harder than the fist of an angry god. Kudos to the folks working on the Warhost for being so understanding and patient in that regard. Next step, finish outstanding payments, save for a cabinet, resume Warhost commissions.

*Note: I may look a little something like this when the project is complete.

Not a bad effort considering the amount covered so far, it has been a crazy time. Made even more interesting by all the new releases the Eldar have had in the last two years. Seriously, we're now only missing the Exodites and all Eldar sub-types will be covered (CWE, DE, Corsairs, Harlequins... and Exodites). That would indeed make me a happy camper.

Update: Paying rent to the Eldar

It has been a bit of a long standing joke that I'd have to buy a house simply for the Craftworld. Sadly there is a little truth in this, as one of the conditions was to ensure it had a space for a display cabinet - and a fourth bedroom to store them in the interim. Yes, really.

So what is this post about? I've just bought said house, sussed out a display cabinet and been served a warning notice from my wallet and bank account to resume a cruising speed rather than "full steam ahead" as it has been the last two years. Basically, posts will be reduced to once a month, or as new developments occur for the next 6-12 months while "damage control" on my bank account takes place.

In short, this is the plan of attack;

1. All miniatures "in the field" aka in the hands of commissioned artists, are to be completed before the next batches can be released. This will likely be Q2 next year.

2. Normalise the costs involved with taking on a new house - You know, buying the essentials. A trip to Costco resulted in buying popcorn, only to realise... "I don't own a microwave...". Being Costco let's just say I have a lot of popcorn sitting idle.

3. Acquire said display cabinet. This sucker is about 220cm wide, 53cm deep and 223cm high. Yes, it needs more shelves. Estimates suggest it will hold the bulk foot troops, vehicles are going in a different spot, and Warmachines already have their own cabinet (bought with the house). If I manage to find anything wider in the next six months, I'll definitely be grabbing it with both hands.

Well that about sums it up for now, rest assured this project is not on hiatus, simply taking time to "move in", before I start paying the Eldar rent money.

What does a 101,000+ Point Warhost Consist of?

The great census of 2015. If you've ever wondered what this monster of a collection consists of... well below should give a pretty good summary. Keeping in mind this has not taken into account the new models having been released in the last fortnight. Yes there will be more added over time... and my credit card will cry as that unfolds.

HQ
	Avatar	3
	Wraithseer	1
	Farseer	22
	Spirit Seer	4
	Warlock	50
	Autarch	5
	Phoenix Lord	7
	Jetbike Farseer	4
	Jetbike Warlock	22
	Jetbike Autarch	7
	Illic Nightspear	1
	Harlequin Avatar	1
	Firedragon Bodyguard	2
	Yriel	1
	Solitaire	5
	Shadow Seer	10
	Death Jester	11
Elites
	Fire Dragons	53
	Howling Banshees	40
	Striking Scorpions	68
	Ghost Warriors OOP	20
	Wraithguard	90
	Wraithblades	40
Troops
	Guardians OOP	212
	Storm Guardians	120
	Defender Guardians	120
	Guardian Jetbikes OOP	20
	Guardian Jetbikes	72
	Russian Jetbikes (JG)	100
	Harlequins (Old)	100
	Harlequins (4th Ed)	24
	Harlequins (7th Ed)	12
	Corsair Jetbikes	20
	Rangers	100
	Dire Avengers	110
	Corsairs	120
	Wave Serpent	73
	Star Weaver	6
	Wave Serpent (Epicast)	20
Fast Attack
	Crimson Hunter	4
	Wraithfighter	4
	Hornets	18
	Nightwing	4
	Shadow Spectres	36
	Russian Spears	27
	Harlequin Jetbikes OOP	25
	Skyweavers	18
	Shining Spears	30
	Swooping Hawks	44
	Vypers	18
	Warp Spiders	40
	Russian Spiders	30
	Wasps	18
Heavy Support
	Dark Reapers	50
	Falcons (Armorcast)	3
	Falcons	4
	Fire Prism	6
	Fire Storm	3
	Night Spinner	6
	Void Weaver	3
	Void Dragon Phoenix	4
	Phoenix Bomber	4
	Support Weapons	9
	War Walkers OOP	3
	War Walkers	12
	Warp Hunter	3
	Wraithknight	5
	Spirit Warrior	2
	Wraithlord	12
	Wraithlord OOP	6
Warmachines
	Phantom Titan #1 FW	1
	Phantom Titan #2 FW	1
	Phantom Titan #3 AC	1
	Revenant Titan #1 FW	1
	Revenant Titan #2 FW	1
	Revenant Titan #3 FW	1
	Revenant Titan #4 FW	1
	Revenant Titan #5 AC	1
	Revenant Titan #6 AC	1
	Knight Destroyer #1	1
	Knight Destroyer #2	1
	Bright Stallion Knight	1
	Cobra MKII #1	1
	Cobra MKI #1	1
	Scorpion MK1 #1	1
	Scorpion MK1 #2	1
	Scorpion MKII #1	1
	Scorpion MKII #2	1
	Tempest #1 AC	1
	Tempest #2 AC	1
	Tempest #3 AC	1
	Lynx #1	1
	Lynx #2	1
	Lynx #3	1
	Vampire Raider #1	1
	Vampire Raider #2	1
	Vampire Hunter #1	1

Dras'Volharr Corsairs - Pirates of the Void

Those of you who have been around since the days of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader will remember with fondness the stories of Pirate Eldar, their lightning raids and general shenanigans.

Luckily, Forgeworld decided to step in with Imperial Armour 11: The Doom of Mymeara a few years ago, bringing them back, almost two decades after their first introduction. Somewhere between Craftworld and Dark Eldar, these guys rock up with a rebel attitude and Craftworld technology. They say a picture says a thousand words, so here is a video explaining how Corsairs work:

With the current hype around the new Craftworld Eldar Codex being released, focus has once again come around to when IA:11 will be re-released with updated rules to tie in with their brethren- and rightly so. Latest reports have been "You won't see them this side of Christmas", direct from Forgeworld themselves. Previously I had it on good authority they'd be released by now, evidently 30k has taken Forgeworld by storm and the Corsair release has been put on hiatus. Not that i'm complaining... especially with the damage those Hornets can do ;)

Last night I received an email from Navin and his crew over at PaintedFigs.com with an update - A 120 strong group shot of the Corsairs sent over in February this year. I wasn't disappointed, not in the slightest.

And the close up shots:

The Dying No More - Eldar in 7th Edition

Well unless you've been living under a rock, there has been alot of talk the last couple of weeks about the next iteration of the Eldar Codex. This time around we have a book that combines the following;

1. The five major Craftworlds
2. Formations left right and centre
3. Heavy focus on Craftworld strategic alignment
4. A new take on Lords of War

Not to mention updates for multiple models;

1. New Jetbikes replacing the old 1994 sculpts
2. Introducing GW made Farseers and Warlocks on Jetbikes (Skyrunners)
3. New plastic HQ kits (no finecast)
4. Jetbike weapon options (Scatter Lasers) that ALL Jetbikes can take (the 1 in 3 rule is gone)
5. Jetbike Autarch (updated)
6. And more... ;)

There is definitely a heavy focus on Saim Hann this time around, as Iyanden had its turn in 6th Edition. This leads to a strong prediction of Biel Tan getting plastic aspects and a new Avatar come their turn - perhaps in the next 12-18 months or so.

Of course, with all these goodies, the Warhost will be bolstered (yet again) to incorporate the new sculpts, in an amount to match existing batches. Yep, that means another 60+ Jetbikes... totaling 360+ Jetbikes.

As an Eldar aficionado, it has been INCREDIBLY hard sitting on all this information the last month being unable to say much, as I sincerely appreciate those in the know that have passed these details on in confidence knowing that I would be all gooey with anticipation for more Eldar goodies. A very heart felt thank you to those who trusted me enough with the information prior to all the leaks coming out (which can now be confirmed). Hey, it helps me budget for all the additions... that can only be a good thing right? Truth be told my wallet is still suffering the effects of Codex: Harlequins.

With this being the second largest Codex out there, perhaps GW have decided to drop the "Dying" moniker, I do believe its time for the Elves to reclaim dominance over the 40k universe ;)

Corsairs of the Dras'Volharr - Concept

As some of you might have picked up, the Dras'Volharr contain a substantial amount of Corsair inhabitants, from Vampire Class Aircraft to Phantom Titans. The Corsair contingent has recently been bolstered by 120 Corsairs (12 groups of 10, all with heavy/special weapons per squad). Previously I posted the results of a Corsair Void Dreamer, which is presently being accompanied by a limited release Eldar Gyrinx (released at the UK Games Day circa 1985).

Recently, Navin's crew from PaintedFigs.com have been building and painting up the bulk of the Corsair force. Keeping in mind these guys were not cheap to acquire, given the Corsair conversion kit has to be purchased in addition to the Eldar Guardian box set itself. They do look the business though, and very much reflect the original concept sketches of first edition Rogue Trader 40,000.

I'm actually starting to wonder if I shouldn't simply designate the entire Warhost as one giant Corsair group meet. Let's just say they will be soon joined by a squadron of Void Dragon Bombers for good measure :)

New Years Resolution - Schedule of Goodies

Well its that time of year again to work out what needs to be done over the next 12 months. Expect to see the following list of goodies completed over the course of 2015. While there may be additions to the following, this list is locked in. These are all in addition to what has currently been completed. Projected estimates for what will be completed are at the bottom of this post :)

Dras'Volharr Theme Table - Project Completed!

Twelve months ago, I sat and sketched some rough ideas down for a possible theme table which would also be used to display (in broken down sections) the finished Warhost. I should have bought a lotto ticket that day as I stumbled upon a local by the name of Elliot who took my sketches, turned them into something very cool and manifested the full 8x6 foot table - which 12 months on, is now completed.


Chuffed? You bet I am.

For even more photos, head over to Elliot's website CustomTerrain.net and have a look at the full gallery. If you're interested in checking out how this project came to life, here is the link to the development log.