ZeroTwentythree's January Sea Elves (200 pts)

I survived the first month.

Things did not go as planned, but I still got my 200 points done and in hindsight I'm pretty happy with them. I got a bit discouraged right away because the old monopose plastic archers were a little disappointing once I actually got down to painting them. I've had them for a long time, I've seen them painted in armies before, and I know they were early plastics, but... those faces. They're split by the mold line, and because of this position the detail is a bit shallow and "not quite right." I opted not to paint the eyes, just gave them deep shadows. I don't think it's too noticeable under the helm.

Midway through the month I got the chance to pick up some actual sea elf archers (see second pic) to use as my seekers (scouts) so I swapped them out with the old wood elf models I had planned to use. I knew they wouldn't arrive in enough time to paint (just got here yesterday) so I swapped the seekers out of my January plan and replaced them with the bolter and crew I had originally planned on painting in February.

Prior to the recent acquisition of the five seekers, the bolter was the only recent purchase made specifically for the OWAC. Everything else has been sitting here waiting to be painted for years. I thought it was a model that really needed to be in a sea elf contingent. I really like the crew, but I'm not fond of the bolter design. I think it's the wheels. I hemmed and hawed over the color(s) for the machine but as the end of the month approached, I opted to just go with the same as the archers bows.

10 Archers (+1 elite, with long bow, hand weapon, light armour) : 140 points

1 Marine Bolt Thrower (3 crew with light armour & hand weapon) : 60 points

A quick commentary about colors & uniforms

The Sea Elves of Marienburg are a diverse lot. There are a variety of merchant houses, some of ancient and noble origin, some who have more recently made names and wealth for themselves through success in some aspect of trade. The military forces of the Sea Elves can vary greatly, depending on the circumstances may consist of mixed regiments combined from the personal guards of the various merchant houses, ships crews, various mercenaries & adventurers, regular regiments from the homeland, or even wood elves from nearby communities who either share a common interest or owe a debt to the Marienburg elves.

Regiments of elves drawn from ships crews or the guards of the merchant houses are typically outfitted in various shades of blues & greens. Each house has a different identifying color. To many outsiders (humans...) these can be difficult to tell from one another. But to the elves, the subtlety between "seafoam-green" and "gulfstream-green" can mean the difference between who's a friend and who's a rival. When the assorted houses contribute troops to an expedition, the colors may appear patchwork if examined closely, but as a whole they reflect the many facets of the open sea and sky.

Regiments from the regular soldiery (usually assigned to the Old World from the homeland) may appear more uniform, while the mercenaries and adventurers may show even more variety.

My latest February plan is to paint the five seekers/scouts and the attack chariot. Just as I've procrastinated on painting the latter for years decades, I'm already feeling the urge to push it back later in the process. I really want to paint the scouts right away, though... I'm sure I can work the numbers out somehow.