Ben D's Skellibobs - Intro Post

 Well Owackers, its that time of year again (take a shot,) where we pledge our axes to a cause and dedicate the next six and a half months of our hobby lives to making something beautiful. I, like the rest of the mugs on this blog, have had a whole year to think of something cool to do for OWAC 9, and I figured I’d do something a little bit different to spice it up a bit. That’s right, this year’s army will be good old fashioned Undead, bones and warts and all…

Wait…

What’s that?

Why are they so small?!

Alright, as per usual (three years running bay-bee) I’ve made it my goal to gnome it up, and this time is no different, except for it literally being different because these gnomes are of the boney variety. Some Halloweens ago, our lovely Byron made a handful of minis to celebrate the spooky season, and as the story goes, I jumped in with two feet. Originally, a number of this horde were a force I made for Dragon Rampant, but after I finished two armies of gnomes for the Warhammer system, I simply had to redo the whole thing so that they’d all match!

There’s been much talk about the Field of Bones amongst participants given the shape of the year ahead, and to make certain that I won’t take any arrows to the knee, I’ve formed a force that should be plenty easy to accomplish before the summer. Should 2026 do me dirty, I ought to be able to manage about 10 skellibobs a month, with plenty of surprises waiting in the wings in case things go smoother than expected.

Here’s the list in all its ghoulish glory.

Undead Lord - Vampire Lord on Dragon - 825 pts

2 Necromancers - 68 pts/each

20 Skeleton Warriors - Full Command and Halberds - 257 pts

20 Skeleton Warriors - Full Command and Halberds - 257 pts

10 Wights - Full Command, Spears, Shields, Heavy Armor, Skeletal Steeds - 528 pts

Total - 2003 pts

I’m personally delighted by this collection of miniatures, not just because they are a continuation of a theme, but because this force has afforded me the chance to sculpt more and use pieces from my collection that I’d been saving for a special occasion.

 

I can’t think of many things more special than our community’s annual project, so I’m proud to haul out this tiny pile of lead in celebration of the new year and the ninth official Old World Army Challenge.

 

But wait! There's a rub! This year's OWAC has an underlying theme: your project has to draw inspiration from some Oldhammer Art!

 

 

Here is the virgin cover of the 4th edition Undead Army book, illustrated by David Gallagher. Its gaudy, busy, and full of pop, so of course I had to pick it as my piece to draw from. While the undead in my army are gnomish and are beholden to their quaint sensibilities, I can at least draw from Gallagher's palette and general vibe. With any luck, by the end of the challenge you'll be able to look at the army and then at the painting, and nod sagely from the commonality of it all.

 

 

Best of luck to all participants, and a hearty thank you to our organizers! Be well, and paint wisely!

JohnR's OWAC IX Intro Post - Rogues from Beyond the Stars!

 

One of the things I love about the OWAC and the Oldhammer movement more generally is that it gives me an excuse to collect, paint and play with miniatures in much the way I did as a kid.

There's no one telling me I'm collecting, painting or playing 'wrong' and no massive multinational corporation trying to get me to buy their latest thing.

If I like something, and it fits with the setting and the story I'm telling, it's in.

On the downside this is a somewhat unstructured, scatter-gun approach to wargaming. Which is fine with me.

To that end here is my entry to OWAC 9: the Rogues from Beyond the Stars. Space Pirates!

 

Group Shot.

 

Old GW Rogue Trader Space Pirates / Adventurers. These have been in my collection pretty much forever and they really deserve some paint, having waited so long.

 

Some Geedub goodness and some more recent figs. My leader model in the center is a BOYL mini - perfect as a Space Pirate boss!

 

 

 

 Space Mutants by Bigmrtong - the main inspiration for this army.

 

Old Grenadier armed civilians - suitable as space ruffians and ne'er-do-wells, at a push .

 

 

More Bigmrtong minis - privateers and space brigands. I have a few more of these but I already started painting them.

 

 

 Leader types, aliens and psykers.

 

 

 

Imperial Robots - captured and reprogrammed. These didn't quite make it into my last Rogue Trader OWAC entry - hopefully they'll make it in here.

 

 Finally the artwork that, obviously, inspired this madness.

I also have a few other bits and bobs that didn't make the photos - mainly vehicles - an RT Predator and Rhino and some Toon Tanks. I might include them, if the mood takes me, though most likely they'll wait for a MKVI beaky Space Marine army in a future OWAC.

Anyway, on to the painting. "Avast you planet-lubbers and break out the hyper-rum me space hearties, Yaaaar !!"

 

Pokrzyw's Empire Army - Introduction post - OWAC IX

 Hello OWACers!

This is my fourth OWAC. After WFB Dark and High Elf armies and WH40k Sisters of Battle force I will back to the Old World with Empire army in 2026.

My one and only adventure with Empire starts in 5th edition, in 1997. I borrowed army from a friend that couldn't participate in '97 Polish Championship. I won silver medal using this army first time (great pre-internet times that you cannot use forums nor armylists that won tournaments). The only stopper from collecting it was a budget. I was back to the Empire during pandemia time. I was always impressed by paintworks in 4th edition armybook - I plan to add all that units in the challenge.

halflings

flagellants

hellblasters

Volkmar

It would be great time for painting these unusual models :)

Army list (3272 pts):

• Emperor Karl Franz on Deathclaw (425)
• Volkmar the Grim, Grand Theogonist of Sigmar on War Altar (340)
• Thyrus Gormann, the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic (372)
• Kurt Helborg, the Emperor's Champion (147)
• 20 Reiksguards on foot (252+ 34 champion)
• 10 Knights of the White Wolf (444)
• 10 Outriders (280)
• 12 Tilean xbowmans(l.amour) 140
• 12 Archers (l.armour) (120)
• 15 Flaggelants (150)
• 15 Halfling archers (72 + 31 champion)
• 15 Halfling spearmans (spears,shields) (104 + 34 champion)
• 2 Halfling hot-pots (100)
• 2 Hellblasters (200)

It's a lot of miniatures, but I strongly believe that it is feasible to finish that army in six months:

The plan

1. The Moot (Halfling archers, Halfling spearmans, Hot-Pots) led by Wizard.
2. Emperor itself with Tilean xbowmans
3. Reiksguards with support of archers, led by Kurt Helborg.
4. Sigmar pilgrims (Volkmar with flagellants)
5. Urlik knights (White Wolves)
   
6. University of Nuln Engineers (Outriders and Hellblasters)
   

Some photos of basecoted miniatures:

Gorman, Tileans and brave halflings

Ever hungry archers

Volkmar & Karl Franz

Knights of the White Wolf

Outriders

Kurt Helborg and archers

Reikguard's knights on foot

Dinner served

Hellblasters

Björn Grendel's Dwarven Holds - Intro Post

 Bjorn Grendel's Dwarven Holds – Intro Post

Since I survived the previous season, the OCHO, some say I've earned the right to consider myself a veteran of the OWAC. The reality couldn't be further from that, for I still consider myself a novice and am certainly only just taking timid steps in the footsteps of the Heroes who preceded me and who eagerly await me in the luminous halls of OWACLHALLA. And here I am, for the second year in a row, with a project that is... ambitious to say the least: a great Alliance of golden-age Dwarven Holds, the largest army I have ever conceived! Will this feat be enough to earn me the favor of the Gods, or will my hubris seal my fate, sending me tumbling into the Field of Bones?

1-A FORCED CHOICE

Last year, those who have followed me will remember, I introduced the army of the UMBEROGENES, the tribe led by Sigmar during the Dark Ages, before humanity's hero became Heldenhammer and reunited the scattered peoples of mankind under a single banner, before the founding of the Empire. That project was intended to unite my daughter Aria's barbarian collection into a cohesive force. She finally has a thematic army with which to play Warhammer, yet one varied enough to allow her to draw individual models for her Mordheim warband and for our frequent games of Heroquest or DeD (which is no small feat for a 12-year-old).

This year, however, I'm seizing the opportunity to do the same for Björn Jr., my second-born, who has always played a dwarf in his adventures, stubbornly refusing to try any other race or faction. A great future for this Little 10 years little Dwarf i must Say. 

2-THE PACT

The first hurdle, as always, was gathering the materials. My wife, Brandy, is also a fervent dwarven enthusiast, so we already had a decent collection of midgets at home to start with. It was obviously quite sparse and heterogeneous, consisting of birthday presents, miniatures found at a flea market, individual models for DeD, and a couple of scattered boxes. In short, it was quite a mess. After a long family meeting, we decided to merge the mother and son collections and recruit an army for both of them, to which we added a few targeted purchases in the form of early Christmas presents. One of the hardest things was taking and stripping some already painted models to include them in the project, and instead forgoing the favorite models that NEVER should have been stripped and repainted. But perhaps it's not too late for these plastic and metal Heroes, and who knows, maybe they could make an appearance somehow, perhaps during Wild Card Month.

3-THE CONCEPT

This for me is the best dwarven art to date and thus my main source of inspiration 

I Will try to match this oldschool vibe!

The idea behind this army popped into each of us almost simultaneously (a brilliant example of family brainstorming): a grand alliance of several different fiefdoms, under the command of a single great King. Thinking about it, this is the only way to include models from different eras, manufactures, and materials, as well as all the special characters or individual models in our collection. Thus, each Mountain of the grand alliance will bring its own specific force with its own colors and theme, but we'll explore this in detail together in the coming months. The only fixed points for now are the presence of Thorgrim Grudgebringer on the throne of power, painted in classic colors, along with his personal guard, and some splendid Mirliton models that my son HAD to include: dwarven bear-riders and his favorite pikemen. Mounted dwarves are nothing new in the Old World, and these illustrations will be the guides for my brush and chisel in the coming months… But fear not, my admirers: checkered patterns and freehand drawings will not be forgotten!

The list so far. .

Below is a series of preliminary photos. I haven't had time to prepare the models yet, regarding primers and any modifications, nor do I have everything I need to complete the individual units. However, here's the updated list to date, with the bare minimum amount of model i want to include. NB: The point cost for each individual unit has been intentionally omitted/approximated; I'll calculate it month by month based on the models I've managed to find upon completion as soon as I figure out how to calculate some custom models and various option.

The collection so far...  

The infamous Italian edition...

Those Bulwark... Like thorns in my arse..

Some spares... May or May not be included in the final army.

Last but not least (but still mandatory) is the entry fee for this year. This tribute goes to Jaakko, who has followed and supported me over the past year, a source of great inspiration and countless advice. For him, I've chosen two models, both from my personal Khorne Chaos Warriors army: a battle standard-bearer and a mounted horn-blower. There are a few other things in the package (which I hope arrives safely by the time this one is published) that, with a bit of luck, you might encounter during this OWAC in Jaakko's posts.

And that's all, I guess. I have some pretty busy months ahead.

In the meantime, KEEP PAINTING, STAY OLD SCHOOL

We Are the Damned - Valtteri's Undead Legion - Introductory post

Introduction

Since I'm new to OWAC I'd best introduce myself. I'm Valtteri, a 40-year old hobbyist from Finland. I got drafted into this challenge by Jaakko, who I met last year in a Necropolis gaming event I organised. (Side note - Necropolis is an excellent game, I put a link in the bottom if you're interested.)

Rolling dice with style since 1985.

I got into little toy soldiers and Warhammer when I was around ten years old. Hero Quest and Space Crusade were my gateway drugs, but I was really hooked when I saw an unit of skeleton warriors at my friend's. I had to get some of my own.

I actually managed to build and paint a pretty decent sized army, though I never actually played the game. I just couldn't get my friends that interested in miniatures.

Oh how I miss these.

Unfortunately I sold all my models when I moved out of my parent's house and mostly forgot about minis.

It took me some 10 years for the hobby flame to be rekindled and I've been hooked again ever since! And I've been playing too - lots of different games. I've gradually moved out of the GW sphere into more accessible (and fun) indie games but I've never lost my love for the classic Fantasy Battle aesthetic.
I've wanted to rebuild my Undead army for a while now and OWAC seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Full disclosure: I was so excited about this project that I accidentally painted two units beforehand. I told myself I'd just paint a few models to test out a color scheme and all of a sudden I had two full units complete with command groups, hand painted banners and Wights to lead them! Oops. 
Naturally these won't count towards the challenge, though I'd like to include them in the final army pics.

I'm quite proud of them.

The Vision

The look I want for my Undead army is sort of a 90s grimdark vibe. I still remember how different the models looked in the 5th edition Vampire Counts Army Book compared to the previous Undead book. They were dark and broody and menacing! The colors were more muted and down to earth and the bases had more tones than just Goblin Green.

These blew my mind as a kid.

I remember pouring over this one particular page over and over again. For some reason I never did try different recipes for bone, I just tried to emulate the bright box art skeletons.

They don't make army books like they used to.

An army of just dirty undead is pretty boring though, so I want to give the characters more vibrant old-school colors and paint the classic 4th ed banners. I rather like the combined effect in my test units.

I have devised a fairly quick painting method for my skeletons which gives pretty decent results, as you can see in the previous test models. I'll save the actual recipe for my first proper post in January though!

One other thing I'd like to do in the future is to build this army so that I could use it in 5th or 6th edition games as well. This means adding some extra models for it to be a Vampire Counts army. I won't do those for OWAC9 though.

The Models

So, I've chosen my army and it's color scheme, now I just need some minis to paint. Unfortunately I only have a single Wraith left from my childhood army, so off to the shops I go.

My precious.

I realized fairly quickly that there doesn't seem to be that many old Undead minis for sale. I did manage to score a decent amount of heroes and special models: Wights, Wraiths, Mummies, Necromancer and my favorite the Vampire Lord. But not nearly as many as I would have liked.

Isn't he dashing?

A proper Undead army needs masses of the walking dead though and there was no way I was going to hunt down dozens of old metal models for them. I mean I only have the one kidney. (I actually do.)
First I discovered the Oathmark skeletons which are just great. I used them for my test units, pictured earlier. They are more akin to the newer edition skeletons though and don't quite satisfy my itch for nostalgia.

Luckily we live in the future age and I found some excellent 3D printed models for my horde.
The Skeleton Warriors are by Celtic Miniatures and the Horsemen, Zombies and the Zombie Dragon are by Red Bard Games (again, links at the bottom for those interested).

Celtic Miniatures

Red Bard Games

I want all my regiments to have a proper command group with painted old school banners and an old school champion to lead them. The Horsemen are lacking a mounted Wight but maybe I'll find one during the challenge.

I also found some great Skeleton Ogres from Ral Partha Europe (Das Schwarze Auge minis) which I plan to use as unit fillers, since there's no profile for them in WHFB.

Love these big guys.

Finally some OG metal.

The assembled army is looking pretty good. Combined with the units I finished earlier I'll have an army ready to crush anyone on the battlefield. Can't wait to get started!

Primed and ready!

Artwork

This year's OWAC's theme was artwork and for me the 4th ed Army Book cover is the ultimate piece of Undead art (the black and white pic of Nagash inside comes as a close second).
So my plan is to create the models in the cover: Wight Banner Bearer, Necromancer (well I guess he might be a Vampire but whatever) and the Horseman.

Best.

I already have the models for the first two but I'm still looking for a suitable knight. I don't plan to actually convert them to match the poses, I'm just going to match the colour schemes and paint the banner. Cutting up old minis just feels wrong after going through the trouble of finding them.

They're close enough.

I'd also love to do some old school terrain such as the Burial Mounds in the classic How to Make Wargames Terrain book.

Also best.

The Plan

So here's what my OWAC9 plan looks like:

• January - Rank and File
•  25 Skeleton Warriors including a command group and a banner - 241 points
• Wight - 37 points
• Necromancer Champion- 163 points
• February - Rank and File
• 10 Skeleton Horsemen with a a command group and a banner - 236 points
• Maybe a Mounted Wight if I can find one (39 points)
• March - Rank and File
• 20 Zombies with a a command group and a banner - 88 points
• Zombie Ogre (unit filler) - 16 points
• Wight - 37 points
• April  - Rank and File
• 5 Mummies - 225 points
• 5 Wraiths - 375 points
• 2 Skeleton Ogres (unit filler) - 76 points
• May  - Wild Card
• The 3 army book cover models (around 200 points)
• Terrain
• June  - Leader
• Vampire Lord - 410 points
• Liche on Zombie Dragon - 850 points (!)

I'm fairly confident I can tackle most of these. The Zombies might take more time than I think and the Zombie Dragon as well. If that turns out to be the case I'm sure I can still finish at least 10 Zombies and the Vampire Lord to satisfy the monthly requirements. If I can paint everything fairly quickly I have some extra models in mind as well...

If I do manage to paint them all, the army is going to be worth almost a whopping 3000 points! (Even more with the two test units). We'll just have to see how far I will get!

Links:
Necropolis - A diorama Skirmish Game

Skeletons by Celtic Miniatures, Etsy

Undead by Red Bard games