Arrrrrrr... ye' free Saturday night? Corsairs en route

By now most of you have heard about the re-release of IA11 - The Doom of Mymeara. In the latest revamp of a golden oldie, we're getting all kinds of new happy fun time goodies... including access to Wraithknights with a slew of new weapons, Wraith Titans (rules to be confirmed) and a mix of general bad assery.

These guys were due a couple of years back, however were put on the backburner for the HH gear and Warlord Titan. I'm glad we were forced to wait, as the CW Eldar got a major injection of fun, which can only translate over into goodies for the Corsairs. Anyone who has been up against these guys will know the pain they can bring in their current incarnation - They're very viable on the tabletop in present form... expect alot of Eldar players to convert over to these death dealers of the rum drinking variety.

Having a full Corsair contingent myself (All my Titans and Vampire class flyers are of the Corsair variety), this makes me very happy in the pants. As I'm sure many of you will be thrilled of the impending release, I very much look forward to seeing new collections spring up full of eye candy on the interwebs.

Now, all we are missing is the Exodites, and the magic five will be complete ;)

What a wonderful Universe. Stay tuned!

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.

3rd Party Howling Banshees - All fear the voice of Death

I've said it many times that without the assistance of many generous and helpful folks over the years this project wouldn't be enjoying the success to date, and today is no different. A certain very awesome friend from Russia made the day a little brighter by sending over this gem, soon to be Banshee Autarch of the 40 strong unit. Yet another sensational piece with all the trimmings! Love your work Sergey!

Guardians of the Galaxy - Yeah, not those guys

Guardians. At first most think "Yeah, cannon fodder", then they're hit with the realisation of a blade storm shredding their ranks with relative ease, dismissing any thought there could be no danger from mere grunts. So what does a person do when confronted with 120 Defender Guardians ready to make sure your day feels like a Monday, and you've just run out of coffee? Prepare for imminent constipation, followed by shattering the porcelain throne.

Old mate Navin from PaintedFigs.com has sent over the latest work, complete with magnetised weapon platforms for extra pain and suffering. Enjoy the pretty pictures in all their awesomeness.

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 ;)

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...

Veil-Walker Consul - Wraithguard (Batch #1)

So Navin over at PaintedFigs.com and his crew have finished off the first batch of Wraithguard (70 old OOP metals) which form the grunt of the Veil-Walker Consul. So far the Wraithseer, Iyanna and Spirit Seers have been finished, with the concepts for Wraithlords and Wraithknights WIP respectively. And of course, almost forgot the Wraithfighters! Here's the full listing of what the Veil-Walker Consul comprises of;

1x Iyanna Arienal (Name to be decided)
4x Spirit seers
1x Wraithseer
5x Wraithknights (In concept phase)
12x Wraithlords (In concept phase)
6x Wraithlords (OOP) (In concept phase)
2x Spirit Walkers (OOP)
20x Ghost Warriors (Executioner & Assassin class)
70x Wraithguard (Wraithcannon - OOP)
20x Wraithblades (Ghost Swords)
20x Wraithblades (Ghost Axe)
20x Wraithguard (D-Scythes)

Ok, so here are the photos of the currently completed Wraithguard in their full Dras'Volharr colour scheme. Stay tuned for the Corsairs coming up soon!

 

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.

Illic Nightspear - WIP

Well i've had this for a couple of weeks now yet decided to stagger out the posts rather than just bombard in one hit. Good ole Vincent has been working on this puppy alongside the Whiteseer and Iryllith Shadow Spectre Phoenix Lord. Note this is only WIP at this stage, however given how nicely Illic is shaping up I thought i'd share regardless. This guy will be leading a 100 strong group of Rangers/Pathfinders under a new name and background aligned with the Craftworld history, albeit using the same stats game wise. Enjoy!

White Seer WIP - Juan Diaz Test Sculpt

Today I have some pretty groovy news, as Vincent (aka Duskfrost) has sent over some WIP shots of the Eldar White Seer. The model itself was one of the four test sculpt Juan Diaz did for Games Workshop many years ago, which were each 1 of 12. This sculpt is probably the rarest out there presently of the four, as i've seen many resculpts of the other three over time.

So what is a White Seer? Glad you asked. They're the link between Craftworld Eldar and the Black Library, commonly associated with the Harlequins. Serving as psychic guardians of the Black Library, their purpose is to acquire knowledge of Chaos for use in defending it. This little guy will soon be accompanied by his pet Gyrinx (a limited release model in the UK) over the next few weeks - hence the larger 60mm scenic base as I wanted these two rare models to have their own small diorama of sorts.

The White Seer fits into the Dras'Volharr story line as a previous expat of the Craftworld, bringing back a Masque of Harlequins to join the Crafworlders in activating an ancient Webway Gate - to reintegrate the last wave of a defending Warhost prior to the world's desolation. Yep, this is where all the Rogue Trader Eldar come in. A clash of new and old across almost 95,000 points of Eldar goodness. On to the pretty pictures...