Graeme's Skaven Spearhead Force for April (210.5 points)

After the disease and pestilence had taken it's toll, it was time for the Skaven to throw their elite troops into the fray - to smash through the defender's line and make a gap for the following hordes to pour through....

I got off to a good start in April, getting a couple of Rat Ogres and a handler done quite quickly.

Rat Ogres and handler - 86.5 points
Two Rat Ogres, to help punch through the enemy lines, with a handler to keep them in check. I varied the colour of the Rat Ogre fur again this month - there's not many other options when there are just two poses from this generation to choose from.

Then I turned to a bit of cunning Skaven technology.

This is not the angle you want to view one of these from if you're fighting against them...

Jezzail Team - 39 points
A Jezzail team, to keep the enemy archer's heads' down and provide some much-needed missile support.

Then I moved onto the Black Skaven and the challenge really began. I love these model for all the detail, but that very same detail took an enormous amount of time to paint. So many layers of leather, scraps of plate mail, chain-mail, ragged clothes, coils of rope, pouches and bags, earrings(?!).... There's a lot of depth to the modelling as well, with details tucked in almost unreachable places. It almost broke me - I came very close to taking a Mulligan this month, but just about scraped in. I had been planning to to 15 of these in April, but didn't even get close. I may not do any more for  while to let my eyes recover from the strain....
At least the final result seems worth the effort.

1st rank of the Black Skaven

2nd rank of the Black Skaven

Black Skaven - 60 points

Eight Black Skaven - one of the few shock elites available to Skaven forces. Well armed and armoured with halberds and light armour. A whopping 7.5 points each!
Maybe the command group will make an appearance next month...

Offering to the Overlord - 25 points

A word of thanks to Iannick for the time and effort he puts into running this challenge, especially during these strange, stressful, and for some, very busy times.
The challenge has definitely been a great distraction for me, and I'm sure others will agree and add their appreciation.
Once I chose the colour of the cloak I suspected this would be designated the offering model. Plus, since it was Iannick's birthday month, it seemed suitable timing. Iannick, it will be winging its way towards you this week. Hope the cloak meets your approval :-)

All of April's force:

2 Rat Ogres and their handler - 86.5 points
8 Black Skaven - 60 points
Jezzailachis Team - 39 points
Offering - 25 points

Total for April: 210.5 points

Total for the army: 871.5 points (846.5 points, not including the offering)

Next month the work on building up my rank-and-file troops continues. Probably not Black Skaven, though... maybe the command group.
I did make a start on some Giant Rats in April, but these are such low points cost in 3rd Edition, I'll need something expensive to compensate.
The banners I was experimenting with last month didn't materialize, so I really want to add at least one.

Good luck to the other challengers! The armies are really taking shape now and starting to look amazing.

Tom's Chaos Dwarfs - Month 1 (235 pts)

Hello! I post this picture first, so I have a nice thumbnail picture :)

Sooo… since I last posted I got round to stripping the last of my models. 

I lightly scraped off the heavier mould lines on them and glued them down on their bases. Then a mighty session of undercoating ensured, using Wraithbone spray from GW. Maaaaan, there's not a lot of paint in them there cans. I used.... A LOT. Of cans. 

I then did a pre-paint photograph of them using my phone, and a timestamp (the paper with the date on). No accusations of jumping the gun here please!

Anyway, the plans of painting rank and file and finishing with a treat model went right out the window as I straight up painted the Army General first. You can see a couple of his buddies there waiting to be painted, who are EXTRAS for another month if I can get round to them. By the way,  the guy on the right with the jaunty hat is my favourite Chaos Dwarf model :)

And here he is all painted up, bless his little cotton socks!

I used contrast paint everywhere. I think the only non contrast paint was a yellow, a cream and a white, and a green for the sides of the base. The base top is GW Mordant Earth, which I brought on a whim and I might as well have brought some regular black paint. Anyhow...  Grass is static grass glued on, rather than the tufts I used for the OWAC2, and the stones are... well, stones. Banners have been printed on regular A4 paper, with a thin bit of card glued in the middle for some extra chonk.

With these zoomed up on pictures it's really horribly apparent where I've mislaid the paint, or not covered the undercoat, or marked the banner. It's unlikely I'll go back and correct these, because I like my sanity. It is completed - not perfect.

By the way, massive thank you to chaosdwarfsonline user Malorndk, who has studiously recreated the Chaos Dwarf banners in photoshop, and uploaded some lovely high res images which printed out incredibly well from my local internet café! His precess and the banners themselves are to be found here: LINK

Next up is this Death Rocket!

Although I did only manage to paint two crew...

The picture above had an 'autocorrect' done by my phone. In contrast, the picture below doesn't...

And here they are, starkly lit, for the group shot!

I'd like to think that there is an easier way of painting these little blighters. I am constantly having to touch up the undercoat to put the next layer of paint on, but to be fair I think they have turned out quite nice and, although I feel they could be brighter, I'm still very pleased with them!

I thought the blue/white split in their hats and clothes would link back in nicely with the OWAC2 regular Imperial dwarfs - they're the same...but...different! It is, however, really not the quickest paint scheme around!

As a bit of an aside, I did paint up a Chaos Dwarf Blood Bowl team last year - right on the tail end of completing the OWAC2. Mostly so I could try out the colour scheme I had roughly in mind and also to see whether I could stomach painting a whole army of 'em. Here's a picture for your curiosity:

For me, the bases haven't worked here. I think I over did it a bit, but they'll do. So, learning from this, I adjusted the basing a little bit for the army, and just painted on a bit of lava. It's OK, but not AMAZING like the basing on this inspiring army from Ishkur: http://www.chaos-dwarfs.com/army3.php

Anyway, this brings me over the 200point quota for this month, so right now I am trying to paint the originally planned rank and file ready for February. Hopefully an EXTRA (or hopefully two) will be painted with the leeway time gained too,
and at some point I'll do a step by step for a Chaos Dwarf Warrior.
I like seeing the picture progressions :)

Until then, may the wings of the Great Taurus carry you safely!

160...Chaos Dwarf General
75... Chaos Dwarf Death Rocket
235...Points Total

John's Chaos Dwarf Lord and Sorcerer (219 Points)

Chaos Dwarf Lord and Sorcerer ready to battle


Sorcerer - 59 points