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.

HQ Eldar - First wave on its way home

As most of you know, the Warhost is completely commission painted by a number of artists globally. One lad, Vincent, has held the reigns over all HQ models (with the exception of Warlocks). The good news? He's on the home stretch! In recent times, Vincent has switched from commission painting to his own personal line of miniatures - Limbo Miniatures - As you might imagine, running your own business takes up a fair chunk of time :)

Luckily, Vincent has been gracious enough to finish off the HQ models, being his last comission - for which I am immensely grateful. One look at the quality and how he has given each model its own uniqueness while keeping the theme, and you will see why I'm pretty thrilled he has stuck with me getting these HQ models done over the years. They've all come out absolutely stunning!

See below for a line up of all the models to date Vincent has completed for the Dras'Volharr...

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 ;)

Laughing (God) All The Way To The Bank

By now (unless you've been under a rock) the news of Eldar Harlequins will definitely have hit full force. Not only are they being re-released for the first time as a full army in over 20 years, they're going for a multiple week deployment.

Memory Lane...

*The original Harlequin "battleforce"

Previously, we have seen the Harlequins run a number of iterations over the years;

1. A full force in Rogue Trader - it was one of the first full armies available
2. Strong appearance in 2nd Edition - with the option to make a full force ignoring the 50% rule
3. As a chapter approved force (the Solitaire rules 'nuff said)
4. 4th Edition as an Elites choice
5. 6th Edition again as an Elites choice
6. Appearing as allies in both Dark Eldar and Corsair army lists
7. 7th Edition, now as what appears to be a full blown army, once again

 *They see me strollin' they hatin' - Artwork by Rav3nshadow on DeviantArt

As an avid collector of the Space Elve variety, a trip down memory lane is certainly warranted this week - as I believe all those who recall the Rogue Trader era Harlequin armies infinite glory to give a round of warm and fuzzies. So let's take a look at what is currently being released (that we are aware of right now).

1. Harlequin Troupe - These are the mainstay of a Harlequin force (or Masque in the case of multiple Troupes). Happy, back flipping, stabby Elves with a penchant for interpretive dance.

 *The full Troupe, as represented in the current Eldar Codex

2. Harlequin Solitaire - You know that one male kid in school that wanted to become a Ballet dancer? The one that got picked on? This is what they become after years of taking shit a spandex ninja with a chip on their shoulder. This lad has (since the early days) the ability to make Hussain Bolt look like an amateur with a precision *&$k punch that will make your eyes water for days.

 *Rogue Trader era Solitaire by Hendarion

3. Starweaver - Just when you thought "Oh no, will Harlequins suffer the same fate as Tyranids with no transport options?", this puppy pops up in the army list. Once upon a time the Venom or Vyper were the "wheels of choice", well I guess papa got a brand new bag. While we're enthusiastically looking forward to pictures of this to be leaked, i've no doubt imaginations are running absolutely batshit wild right now. Mine certainly is.

So what goodies should we be looking forward to in the near future not yet seen?

1. Shadowseer - This guy began life as a Harlequin Warlock, or High Warlock depending on which models you had back in the day. Hopefully the "you're seeing things, man" trick will come back in full force, shading the Troupe/Masque from view until you're all up in their chops with "kisses".

2. Death Jester - This guy wins both most wicked face and chill pose of the lot. Historically holding a stoic posture with that "I'm the tits", look on his face, almost all of us can recall the party favour "Shrieker Ammo" this guy packs for shits 'n' giggles. Shits because the results is explosive, and this guys face is giggling already as he knows it.

3. Mimes - These lads were tactical advisors and infiltrators, kinda like a bridge between a Ranger and an Exarch. If they do return, I expect their role to be akin to a scout/harasser function, like a Tyranid Lictor. Perhaps even with a passive area of influence.

4. High Avatar - Autarchs of the highest order, out to kick arse and take names. Fingers crossed this guy gets some funky abilities not too unlike a Corsair Prince (Night fighting anyone?). Anyone deifying the Laughing God himself is bound to cause a major underpants check in the enemies ranks.

 *Someone get over there and laugh at him...

5. Harlequin Jetbikes - If Ninja Clowns were not enough, make them even faster. We all know too well how nasty regular Jetbikes can be, and if Corsair Jetbikers were nastier... then these things are just going to be hilarious... just not for your opponent, who may perform the "Table Flip" maneuver in response.

*Jetbike Clowns - The stuff of nightmares

So now we are collectively rejoicing over the following happy images, and how far we've come - the days of static pose metals (which were still quite dynamic in those days - look at Space Marines and you will know what i'm talking about), all the way to dynamic multi-part kits. By now most of you will have seen these, however it's nice to have for completeness. Over the following weeks, we shall all be enjoying the following goodies...

Eldar Warp Spider Alternatives - Review Time!

I thought it might be about time to do a review of the 3rd party Warp Spiders (note, they're not called this officially) seen on this blog a few months back now, if anything to showcase just how clean these miniatures are and the quality of the product.

Highlights -

1. VERY crisp lines
2. High quality resin
3. No defects or bubbles
4. This stuff doesn't warp (just on the tabletop haha)
5. ALL weapon options represented for the Exarch

Cons -

1. Games Workshop dropped the ball here.
2. Games Workshop should offer the creator a job. Yesterday.

The kit itself comes with an extra Exarch head alternative and each model is dynamically posed. So you can go absolutely silly with options if you so choose. On to the photos...

 

*Above: The assembled kits in all their glory

 

*Above: 27 Warp Spiders and accompanying Exarchs 

*Above: Warp Spider Exarch sprue with all options

  

 *Above: Close Combat arms for Jetbikers (just a little extra thrown in)

Monofilament Fun - 3rd Party Warp Spiders

Well i've heard back from my mate overseas and the latest project of sculpting greatness has been finished. Note that they aren't actually called Warp Spiders, but that's what i'll be using them as - they do make excellent stand in Warp Spiders until Games Workshop releases new sculpts all things considered.