Lissanne's June Bloodbowl- Wildcard month- Dusty Odds and Ends

 

 

Did I get the oversize stadium done?  No.  But I did do the two entry towers for the teams, a ref and a concession stand.  This is the month of painting things gathering dust for a decade +.

 These two towers have been sitting about forever, and I always intended for them to be part of my Bloodbowl stadium.  They got a refresher paint job.  Not difficult, as they were grey to begin with.  But done.

 Another thing sitting about for decades and decades was this Giant.  I got it for free, but always thought it was a bit lame.  But I just got the bright idea to make him a ref.  A really big ref.  It only took a little bit of conversion on the sword hand to make it work.  And it is a storm giant for game play.

 

Rat on a stick!  Rat on a stick!  With or without fur and bits.
 The concession stand began life as an unassembled Lionel lumber yard.  A neighbor gave it to me when she moved, and it also has been sitting about for a decade.  It is full of running gags from our D&D game, where the Bloodbowl games take place.  Cleric Skye Pilot has been running a concession stand, which has expanded.  Originally it was just Rat on a stick.  We had an adventure where low levels were collecting rats for the Rat on a stick franchise.

 There are team flags with nice sturdy 2 x 4's so you can show the opposing fans you support your team in a real and personal way!  Temporary creations from Charade, most of these get broken over the heads of fans anyway.

 Wild Turkey sake, mage Wild Turkey started a local sake farm when he found rice (long story).  The town drink.  Another character started a cranberry bog, so there is cranberry flavored sake.  Run by Wendy, another cleric.
Fruity drinks for the kids- (with only a little sake),  This one came out of my mouth during gameplay, as my grandma the flapper used to say it.  She thought it was ok for kids to drink, LOL!  It has become a recurring phrase in gameplay.  

And I modified some art I did for a failed wargame into Hooligan's posters.  The Hooligans are the home team.  And the Rat on a Stick franchise is mobile.  I told you it was popular, so will get used in other places.

  So with that ends my OWAC.  Getting some of the stadium done is better than none!

Frank's: The Great Work - A Daemonic Legion of Slaanesh, Slaves to Darkness Style, "Wildcard", June 2023

 

Due to user error on my part, when I planned out what I would paint for this OWAC I completely disregarded the Wildcard month. Therefore, when I had to divide up the Daemonette cavalry over April and May, I really had very little lead left in my ammo-can to do something with for June. So, rather than add random models with a less than well thought out plan or high quality old-lead components, I opted  to keep my expectations reasonable and just finish up loose ends. Therefore, I decided to finish the unit of Slaaneshi Legionaries I started in March. Besides this, fate presented an opportunity to make a characterful addition to the Legion’s commanders with an unexpected greater daemon model.

For the unit of Legionaries, I built the first two from a pair of Blood Bowl elves which I converted to carry bows and arrows as well as some sort of wicked blade. I also converted an elven Wardancer model whose studded leather leotard let him fit right in with the crazy outfits of the Blood Bowl models. One, I gave a plastic Slaaneshi icon from the modern GW Daemonette kit. The hair on this guy is straight out of the 80’s, and it’s fabulous. The other elf, a Blood Bowl elf catcher, I converted to be the unit’s leader. His model was clearly intended to be wearing skin tight leather pants, but I chose to ignore this and painted him wearing just a cod-piece. I also changed his catching hand to an arrogant gesture as he showboats trying to catch the gaze of the pleasure-god. 

 

These models have a number of nice fat jewels sculpted on their gear, which was the fashion with elf models from this era. I took the opportunity to paint these using the 90s style technique, which I think I got the hang of now. 

 

Overall, I am quite pleased with the full unit now that it is done. They give the Legion some much needed non-spell ranged capability, and the leather clad dark elves look like they belong amongst the horde of Daemonettes.

At the tail end of May Satyr Art Studios offered an alternate sculpt of a Keeper of Secrets based on Tony Ackland’s art. Only 200 of these were cast. Clearly, this was the hand of Slaanesh themself providing me with an entirely thematic superb Keeper of Secrets model, which was different from the other three already in the Legion. Page 176 of Realm of Chaos Slaves to Darkness, gives a chart to determine the number of greater daemons in a daemonic legion battle, five being the most that one can roll. It also puts a hard limit on greater daemons as being equal to the god’s sacred number. This, of course, means six is the hard limit for a Slaaneshi Legion. 

 

The Satyr Art Studio’s Keeper of Secrets is very different than the Citadel Minatures sculpt not only in proportions, but also in texture. The strange proportions and pose (based on Ackland's art) cause the daemon to be leaning forward and down to the left if based as it was cast. Instead, I decided to convert him slightly by placing him on a stepped 40mm base. This made his pose much more upright. I then gave him a nasty looking club and a buckler shield. Last, I added a streamer of bejeweled hair, which I painted in the 90s jewel technique again. Because the hide of this daemon is covered in bumps, crevices, and short fur, I primed it in off-white and used a contrast yellow paint for the bulk of the model. Having painted the daemon yellow I avoided further use of the color when painting his items and boots, mostly leaning on pinks to tie the model together. For the eyes, I tried to give them an unsettling evil jaundiced look. Then I painted his club as a chunk of warpstone strapped on a stout log. I would assume those he ‘taps’ with it enjoy wondrous new mutations.

This month adds another 1,014 points to the legion with a mere four models. This brings the total effort to 7,358 points and an adjusted model count of 86. Next will be a wrap up and display of the entire Legion to date.

Jaakko and Slargash - Leader month

As the final stroke of the ritual marked the completion of their arduous quest, Slargash gazed upon his reflection and smiled. But as Slargash surveyed his radiant army, a solemn question echoed in the depths of his mind. The camaraderie that had formed during their six-month odyssey made him think. The trials they had overcome together, the shared moments of triumph and exhaustion, had woven a tapestry of connection that transcended the boundaries of war and chaos.

With a heavy heart, Slargash looked upon the varied species that had found acceptance within their ranks. Men twisted by mutations, hounds, trolls, giants, beastmen, and even exiled knights stood shoulder to shoulder, bound by a common cause. Their differences, once reasons for conflict, now forged the foundation of an unbreakable bond.

The battles they had fought and the victories they had achieved seemed different now. The screams and destruction still brought Slargash a sinister joy, but he had a distressing feeling that they were fighting for a purpose beyond the confines of traditional notions of good and evil.

As the sun set upon the battlefield, casting an ethereal glow upon the now painted horde, Slargash turned to the Mad Spell twins and whispered. His voice was laced with uncertainty and almost broke when the words came out: "Are we the good guys?"

 

 

And so the last month of the challenge passed and it seems that I made it! I'm glad that I had the courage to take part in the challenge. I feel that I have learned a lot in the process, both as a painter and collector, but more than anything, I have learned that six months is a long time. At the moment I'm glad to not have deadlines and might let the brushes rest for a while.

Initially I pledged to paint Slargash and the Mad Spell twins during the leader month. Then I stumbled into the Chaos Brothers and a discipline master for the trolls and decided to add them into the mix. As some banners and a musician were delayed for other reasons this band of nine miniatures was formed.

This month in points:

- Slargash the Defiler, lvl 20 sorcerer: 240 pts

- Quel'lequeck Mad Spell x2, lvl 10 sorcerers: 170 pts

- Chaos Champion on a Chaos Steed: 157 pts

- Chaos Champion: 125 pts

- The troll discipline master, Chaos Warrior: 70 pts

- Banner for Marauders: 70 pts

- Army standard bearer with Chaos warrior stats and a musician for Chaos Warriors: 280 pts

OWAC VI total 5452 points, 101 models

Slargash of Many Colours

Jaek, a close relative of Draken Doom, on a Chaos Steed stolen from Aureola Rococo elves

Helwud, often mistaken for Draken Doom

I hope that my trolls will be less useless with a discipline master

A banner captured from the marauding orc army that is yet to materialise

"Chaos is inside me"

 

The bells! The bells! A musician for the unit of Chaos Warriors

Until next month!

Shadespyre's June Post - Wild Card Month - Army Name Suggestions on a Postcard Please! - Dark Elves (1472 points)

OWAC VI - Wild Card Month - The Leftovers

June

Wild card month! Full of all that crazy stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else? Well, not really - this time around, wild card month is mainly the things I didn't own at the start of the project, or wasn't sure I'd get around to. 

But let's start by righting a wrong!

Remember this lass? The first Dark Elf I painted, as a test of the colour scheme? She currently doesn't have a place in the army! Just for fun, let's include her as something else missing from the army - an Assassin.

While we're filling gaps with things that are just sat there in the army list, here's a unit from the Rank and File section:

Just five Dark Riders. I really wanted to include some "proper" Dark Elf cavalry in this force, and as I own a large selection of pre-slotta Citadel horses (chiefly from the very old Fantasy Adventurers Cavalry range) I was confident I could identify some good fits. However, once I brought a rider to the horses, it was rapidly clear that due to scale creep (yes, it's always been a thing) and the odd semi-kneeling pose of the Dark Elf Cold One riders, there was only ONE horse that really worked. I scoured ebay to assemble this 5 and left it there.

Drawing on the Drow inspiration, it makes sense that this mostly subterranean dwelling force has a limited number of "surface" critters, like these horses and the Giant Eagle, at its disposal. Maybe I should have gone for some polar bear riders instead? Anyway, cavalry - all Citadel, all pre-slotta - achieved.

Also in the "rank and file" section is a War Altar, as depicted in this classic line art:

Could I, I wondered, make something like this using the Witch Elf models? The poses available don't best fit, but it might have been possible with cutting off some arms and resculpting them. Not really my strength and also quite a lot of vandalism.

On the other hand, I had some Cold Ones left over from Dark Riders project, so maybe something pulled by those? Or carried by those? After much deliberation and some mucking around, this is what happened:

Yes, it's a little more elaborate than I originally envisaged! It just grew as new components suggested themselves! Once I'd decided to carry it across the two cold ones, that set the approximate dimensions. I hit upon the throne (from FS5 "Old Wizard on Throne reading Book on Lectern") as one of the few suitable pieces of pre-slotta furniture that would look the part - it's enormous, and to my horror is effectively unfinished on the back. Hence the addition of the bulky back piece. But I rather like the wonky lines of the throne, which put me in mind of the early AD&D artstyle as drawn by the great Erol Otus. 

The purple slab itself is made from foam sheet with a skin of Miliput - the foam allowed me to push it down over the saddles of the Cold Ones rather than file them off. The painting is meant to mimic the appearance of the purple-red rock porphyry, which was used for decorative architecture across the ancient world. I probably made mine more blue-purple than is usually seen in nature, to fit the army theme.

It doesn't really show in the pictures, but the slab is actually an inverted squard stepped pyramid with three layers - as is depicted on the icon painted on the altar cloth. Why? Because (in D&D) the inverted ziggurat with the eye is one of the symbols of the Elder Elemental Eye, to which the rebel drow of  the great city of Erelhei-Cinlu turned from their worship of the spider-goddess Lolth. Which in turn explains why my Drow-themed Dark Elf army has NO SPIDERS in it! Sometimes it's almost like I've planned things!

I have to admit the candles are resin  or plastic from some kit or other, but the two cauldrons full of blood are classic Citadel pieces (from FS33 "Witch's Items" I think). They are a nod towards future Dark Elf models of the Cauldron of Blood. We then have five more Witch Elves as altar guards, of course.

And although there is NO REASON and NO RULES to do so, I of course made a space on the slab to stand a Wizard:

So, as you can see, it all became A Bit Unnecessary, but I'm rather fond of it.

Now, let's introduce some really wild stuff. With all the wildlife in the Rank and File list, I've turned to another section for some more teeth and claws; Hosts.

A quick glance at the options shows that the fun choice is a Chaotic Host, which includes some Dark Elf favourite critters. But (thematicaly at least) you should have a Chaos Wizard to bind your Chaos Beasties, so here's yet another Wizard:

This is the second time I've converted this oft-broken miniature, there's another example in my Vampire Counts army. This time I've added a mass of tentacles in place of the broken staff, in reference to the Tentacled Rod magic item used by the AD&D Drow. Suitably chaotic I hope.

Now here come the bound Chaos critters:

Six FF8-2 Harpies. Got to have Harpies in a Dark Elf army. Now you see exactly why the Harpy Eagle became the inspiration for my Giant Eagle.

Something else you also have to have is a Hydra:

It's a C27 Hydra as featured in Bryan Ansell's Chaos army from the book. Very hard to get all seven heads to fit on! The colour scheme is based on the one I used for the Cold Ones.

And some less traditional choices - brace yourselves for the terrifying FF61-1 Giant Wyvern!

Yes that's a 50mm base. This was a big model back in 1981, honest! You can see why he was replaced by the Black Dragon though... if you think that's smol, please spare a thought for his colleague, the deadly C27 Chimera!

Cute eh? I spared him the indignity of trying to mount a character on his back.

And finally, I think, that embodiment of Chaos, the Jabberwock. Inspired by Thomas' glorious bright red model, I unleashed the full range of those purples that I bought for the project, and painted him in Lipstick Pink:

I still gave him "eyes of flame" though.

Army List Additions:

Scores for June:         1472  points   23 models

1 x Assassin (level 10)    (Light Armour, Repeating Crossbow)                    94 points

5 x Dark Riders  (Light Armour, Shield, Repeating Crossbow)                   150 points

1 x War Altar with 5 Guards                                                                                 100 points

1 x Wizard (level 15)                                                                                               208 points 

6 x Harpies                                                                                                                90 points  

1 x Hydra                                                                                                                 200 points  

1 x Wyvern                                                                                                               180 points  

1 x Chimera                                                                                                              250 points

  

1 x Jabberwock                                                                                                        200 points  

Running (Final?) Total:          7243  points  211  models

Next Time

Will be the final wrap up post

Paul's High Elf Host - Leader Month (768 pts)

 

Can you hear that? It's the sound of the victory drums approaching! 

I'm presenting a somewhat mixed cast of characters for leader month, some of which I had planned from the start of this year's OWAC and some who have found a place in the drive to paint every damn High Elf within a 50 mile radius of my house!

First up is an 'Ellyrian Reaver' Hero, although I think he is supposed to be a Silver Helm... Anyway, what he isn't is the 'Kingfisher' knight that I had envisioned. I like to go for walks along the river in the woods near my house and if you time it just right and are very lucky... you can see a pair of kingfishers darting along above the water. Their colours are simply beautiful and I got the idea in my head that I would try and use a kingfisher colour scheme... in metallics... on this mini. 

Well.... let's just say my first attempt looked like something my 12 year old self would have mocked and my first attempt at mixing my own coloured metallics ended up with a blue that can only be described as 'Faded 1980s Ford Escort'

So back in the dip he went and I quickly opted to make him the leader of my Ellyrion detachment. As I've elected to use the embossed shields from the 4th Edition Warhammer Box Set (a bit too big for many mounted minis tbh, but good for the themed detachments) I've taken a couple of pictures without the shield before it obscures lots of the detail. The shield itself reverses the colour scheme of the main units, coz that's how you show one of your minis is the champion - right? 

Next up is a multipurpose mini. I decided I didn't need two Prince Imriks mounted on Dragons in my Host, and I painted my preferred version last year, so I decided to repurpose the newer version as a mounted Army Battle Standard/Musician. As I was looking at the mini and deciding what to do with it it occurred to me that the combination of long lance with pennants and the big horn in the other hand rather lent itself to the idea of a 'Battle Herald' who might combine use of the lance and pennants and the horn to signal to the High Elf army.

A slightly damaged High Elf Mage's horse provided an alternative mount although it required some moderate vandalism of the metal saddle that was designed to fit a dragon rather than a horse, the final fit is no worse than most warhammer cavalry of the Oldhammer period... i.e. terrible.

He's obviously a bit flash so I think he could easily be upgraded to the Army General if needed, or could be demoted to unit musician if I want to up my numbers slightly to field two units of Dragon Princes. 

Sods law, as soon as I took the first picture of him on his own I knocked him over and the lance detached, damaging the paint job. He's back on the desk for repair but I was relieved to have got a couple of pictures with the unit first which show him from a couple of other angles.

Right, what's next? No, it's not a Tiranoc Charioteer it's clearly a Phoenix Guard Champion! I have somehow found myself with a surfeit of Tiranoc Charioteers, partly because of 'reasons that will be revealed' and partly because I don't quite know.

Anyway, with his fantastic helmet plumes and fancy glaive I thought he was a good bet for a unit champion for my Caledor themed Phoenix Guard from last month. Again, you can tell he's the champion because his colour scheme is reversed. These are the rules.

A truly classic sculpt from the period and quite iconic in High Elf armies so I was thrilled to find it was as much fun to paint as I had hoped. You can see him with his unit a bit further down the page.

Here we have a Phoenix Guard Unit Standard/Army Battle Standard.

Did I mention I had a surfeit of charioteers? Well this one came to me already prepped for conversion into a standard bearer, and with an unfortunately squashed face (which I guess was the result of him being clambed when his hand was drilled by a previous owner. I have to say I think the idea is a good one and I was happy to make the most of someone else's bravery here and use the already damaged mini rather than risking making a pig's ear of it myself.

That said there was still a bit of work to do in fashioning the banner pole and standard along with the banner itself. The pole is brass rod cut to size, the cross piece is made from pieces of two tooth picks cut and sanded to fit relatively flush (others would have done a much better job of this I'm sure!) and a small grove filed in to locate the banner pole. The standard top is from a sprue of plastic Elven shield bosses while the banner itself is cut from the skin of an expired indoor football, which I think looks a bit like dragon hide. 

The runes are Asur the eternal flame, Mark of Asuryan, symbol of rebirth and lordship; Caladai symbol of the line of kings, the dragons of flame; Sarathai. the rune of the World Dragon, symbolising defiance, unyielding. Used in combination here they represent the ascendancy of the line of Caledor to the throne of Ulthuan.

Utility/versatility is at play again and the mini can act as either full army battle standard or unit standard for the Phoenix Guard as seen below. as such his colour scheme follows theirs, which also serves to distinguish him form the unit champion of the same sculpt.

Finally we have Prince Teclis/Mage Lord of Caledor. This exact mini has been at the centre of my High Elf army since 1994. I have absolutely no idea how his staff is still in one piece after all the time he has spent in show boxes and all the house moves he has survived. It now wobbles if you paint it too roughly so please don't look at it too hard in the pictures in case it breaks.

It is even more remarkable it didn't break when I decided at the end of April that it needed ot go in the dip as a simple refurb just wasn't going to fit the bill for this beauty. I know I could have done more on the detailing on the robes and cloak, and the staff, and the tabard... but I am pretty happy with how he came out and think the red, green and gold make an impact. 

I'm glad I took the risk and added significantly to the monthly work load (as with the last minute Imrik on horseback decision) as painting him alongside the two 'Phoenix Guard-(not)Charioteers' meant I had a consistent 'Caledor' themed colour palette across the three and they sit very nicely together in the Phoenix Guard unit. 

Monthly Total:

Mounted Hero (Barded Steed, Light Armour, Shield, Sword) - 114 pts
Mounted Army General (Imrik) - (Barded Steed, Heavy Armour, Lance) - 172 pts
Phoenix Guard Unit Champion (Heavy Armour, Halberd) - 53 pts
Army Battle Standard Bearer (Heavy Armour) - 101 pts
Mage Lord - 328 pts

Total - 768 pts

So... with May being my leader month and all four of my rank and file months already completed I 'could' call my OWAC VI completed with a month to spare... 

But I think the appearance of Imrik minus a dragon and the mention of multiple charioteers but no chariots might give you some clues as to what might be coming for my final wild card month. 

Thanks for reading and congratulations to everyone who made it through month five!