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.

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:

Conclave of the Sun Dragon - Update #2

Remember the concept Phoenix Bomber from early last year? Well a couple of months after that a number of squadrons joined its ranks and i've recently had a WIP update - with a few gems and decals to go.

In case you're wondering, they're going to look a little something like this;

*The Phoenix Bomber sample from early 2014

All up there are 20 aircraft, four of each variety, 16 of which are near completion. Yep, i'm dragging the chain a bit on sorting out the four Void Dragon Bombers. Here's the list;

4x Phoenix Bombers
4x Void Dragon Bombers
4x Nightwing Interceptors
4x Crimson Hunters
4x Hemlock Wraithfighters

*Just a few goodies establishing what dish racks are actually for

And the WIP images, with a nice little appearance from the first of five Wraithknights and 20 Wraithlords.

*Someone queue "Ride of the Valkyries" please...

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 :)

Winged Nightmares - Corsair Vampire Squadron

May have slipped up a bit here - these guys were done some time ago (before the Titans) - however I seem to have forgotten to put the final post up for the trio of winged death.

The following three Vampires are part of the Corsair contingent, comprising of two Raiders (to transport 60 Corsairs) and a Hunter escort - just in case there's a tank or two that may present issues for the orbital assault.

Forming the base of the Vampire Hunter is a proper-f*&#ed Chaos Predator, making good use of brass rods, scenic smoke and missiles flowing from the undercarriage missile bays to support the weight of the Hunter. Both Raider are on 1"x12" thick acrylic rods that screw to the base and use guiding rods with magnets to lock the fuselage in place.

In the next couple of weeks they should be accompanied by a fighter/bomber wing - 16 regular flyers with another 4 in the winds to be completed over the next 12 months.

Phoenix Lord Irillyth Joins the Game (WIP)

A while back the lads from The Sound of Machines painted up a dozen Shadow Spectres for the Warhost, and the came up a treat (more are in the works I might add). Yesterday, Vincent (Duskfrost) sent me a WIP of the latest addition to the Warhost, Phoenix Lord Irillyth - keeping theme with the Spectres. So far, looking very tidy indeed!

The Second Wave - Corsairs, Wraithguard & Guardians

A new year, a new batch of miniatures to be sent off to Navin and his crew at PaintedFigs.com - These guys do a fantastic job of smashing out the troops and elites component of the Warhost, with  around 1200 miniatures in the total commission - roughly 62%.

*Above: The squad of ultimate bad asses (yep, Aliens quote)

Now that the bulk of the Aspect Warriors are out the way theme wise (with a small batch left to go in the second wave), its on to the bulk of the Guardians, Wraithguard and Corsairs. The remainder to go as part of a new (3rd batch) hopefully in January 2016 will finish up the remaining units of GW Jetbikes, converted Jes Goodwin re-sculpt Jetbikes (Shuriken Cannon variants) and new style Wraithguard (blades).

Next up, Planetscape update, Flyers and completed Phantom Titans.

Harbingers of the Void - Twin Phantom Reapers

First up, Happy New Year to all :) hopefully each of you have your New Years resolutions all planed out with lots of Wargaming thrown in for good measure.

Steve has just sent an update for the two Forgeworld Phantoms, dubbed "Void Reapers" given their menacing appearance and general badarsery. With six of the nine Titans down, only the Armorcast remain, then around mid year the Super Heavy Grav Tanks will be seeking out their respective paint jobs.

The recent changes have been painting of all the gems to the blade colour to reflect a more "blazing" contrast that fits in theme with the army itself. Very much looking forward to seeing these bad boys flanking the Warlock Class Phantom Titan in the future.

Tables & Titans - Planetscape & Phantoms Nearing Completion

This week i've had both Steve and Elliot contact me with regard to current WIP projects, and given the Dras'Volharr Planetscape is oh so very close to being completed, i'm quite eager to post up the photos from Elliot's own website CustomTerrain.net

Steve has also been smashing along with the Phantom Titan progress, having just the finishing touches and some cinematic work left on the big guys. Enough from me... pretties...

 

Phantom Titan WIP - Shoulderpad Runes & Death Masks

New runes have been consolidated to create some new Titan glyphs for the shoulders and hip guards, albeit with a few layers of shading left to go. The ground forces contain the scorpions tail insignia and venom drip, in contrast to the airwing's more avian stylised glyphs shown on the Vampire's.

All coming together, with the Webway Gates up next upon completion, followed by the Armorcast Titans - Warlock class and twin Revenants.

 And a small glance of a downed Falcon for one of the Phantoms as a scenic piece. Still thinking about how this one will work out :)