Kabalites Cultists Covenites Corsairs and Craftworlders. (eventually)

Oh hi! I did not see you there.
Funny I should bump in to you here since I have something I wanted to talk to you about.
You know how we have been seeing each other for quite some time now, and it feels like we are getting serious. I mean I took the time to register an account and even posted a couple of times. I never do that, so this has to be something special right?
So I thought that maybe it was time I introduced you to the family.
They are a little old fashioned and rough around the edges, but I think you will get along fine.

I started painting my DE in 2001 and the amount of models I have finished since then is... embarrassing to say the least.  
Back then, in order to figure out what kind of color scheme to use, I painted up three test models in different colors. That kinda backfired a little bit because I still was not able to choose, so now I have three different dark eldar factions.
To further distinguish the kabals, I grouped similar bits in distinct styles for each faction.

The biggest detachment have dark blue and gray colors. This is usually the main force and this is where you will find the cult elements and street gangs.
The next group is an old noble house with giant, decadent, pointy, knifehats. Obviously they had to be painted in purple. They bring the fancy guns, and are the only kabal with actual trueborn.
The last of the initial three is mostly coven. Painted in their favorite colors: blood and bone. They have some warrior support, but that is basically just wracks that have angered their masters and now have to serve doing something marginally useful such as ranged support, instead of gloriously inconveniencing dominating power armored mon-keigh by bleeding out on their shoes.

I have a couple of squads of various corsairs plus a hornet and some wasps. None of which are assembled yet. Except for the prince on a bike.
Eventually I might even get around to building my Il-Kaithe autarch + troops. But I would not be holding my breath for that happening this decade.

Anyway, back to the business of showing my progress so far.
I found myself in the fortunate situation of having the apartment to myself for an entire weekend and seized the opportunity to do a little photo shoot. Somehow the regular approach of extreme closeups with a white background did not appeal to me at the moment so I kinda sorta overdid it a little bit.

The story begins when the coven sends their wracks down to a backwater imperial outpost planet to stock up on "resources", only to find that the populous had failed to gather for collection in the town square as commanded, but instead had enlisted the aid of some sneaky armored fellas with a bird fetish. The annoyance of the initial ambush, soon tuned to joy and had the coven masters virtually spurting embalming fluids in their shorts with glee when they realized that their new prey was the kind worth 10 times or more that of the base line type they were expecting.


As reinforcements poured out of the webway, the armored ornothologists
fell back to an old processing plant to try and hold off the inevitable. But while the warriors distracted the defenders with what looked like a massed assault, the daring dracon and his trueborn deep struck in behind them to blast them to pieces with... well, blasters.


With their main force broken, the remaining defenders reverted to hit and run tactics. This suited Archon Scrz just fine, since it is a lot more exciting to hunt something that is trying to run away.


And that is it for the nice pics.
From here on out there will only be dark, grainy pictures. Hastily snapped with my cell phone in one hand while using the other to fend of a toddler that wants to play "chew the head off the overpriced plastic figure".

Hope you like it.

I must admit that the subtitle made me laugh. Also, I should hope what we have is something since you've been here for over a year and a half

I like the mixture of the old DE and the new DE. The painting looks good from these pictures. Do you think you could fend off the toddler long enough to get some close ups?

Is that a sail on the old Raider? I like it!

By Regis! I just now realized that the hosting site did quite the compression number on my pictures. I can't seem to get it to upload without re-sizing them either so NO NICE PICS FOR YOU then I'm afraid. Unless I figure out another way to host them.

Cavash wrote:

I like the mixture of the old DE and the new DE. The painting looks good from these pictures. Do you think you could fend off the toddler long enough to get some close ups?
Is that a sail on the old Raider? I like it!

I think the old warriors may still work with the new aesthetic, I have upgraded some elements a little to make them blend in more. Like the sail on the old raider as you mentioned and also a prow gun built with a spare disintegrator cannon. The painting level is OK. Nothing to write home about.

I probably won't have time to take a lot of new photos of my existing models, but I will document my progress for each paint project I finish.
However, I had a little rummage through my phone and found some old closeup pictures.
Plus the original files from the latest photo shoot are quite high res, so I was able to crop them and still retain most of the detail.


The Coven : Heralds Of Eskhatos







=========================================

The Trueborn : Snake Eye Brotherhood









=========================================

The Vatborn : Cerulean Umbrae

Figured out a solution to the low resolution problems.

Now you all can zoom in and check out my mistakes.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-3GpPwLbwRVTGhnUWtGMVVQRWs/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-3GpPwLbwRVR3ZqYXZNTEFJU1U/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-3GpPwLbwRVd2VqVC1nSy1ETTA/view?usp=sharing

Looking good Scrz, nice to be able to zoom in and check out the models. I really like your purple Kabalites and the venom with the extra blades - nice neat highlights and they really pop.

I find the artist is often his/her own worst critic (guilty as charged!) =)

Aight, that was it for the painted models.
Time to crack the WIP.

I present, the chronos Craleighx and the talos Thiy-Biir

Did I mention I love tentacles?


Ready to reap. Don't worry the stinger pod is magnetized.


I have tried to model them as dynamic as the kit allows. As i mentioned in another thread, I never liked the static pose of the stock talos/cronos kit. I want it too look like they are straining on their leash or rushing headlong for their designated target. Of course with their base move of 6" it would be easy to imagine them running on the spot, in slow motion, under water, but that is besides the point. At least they should look cool while creeping along.

Fun fact, I glued both these suckers together three times. That's right, three.
I used the plastic glue from GW. I had just run out of the old GW plastic glue I got in 1997 that melted the plastic and fused it in to one unbreakable piece of doom, an thought the new stuff would be just as awesome. And BOY was I RIGHT. This was the plastic glue for the glue lovers. If you love gluing things, this is the glue for you! With a specialized formula that makes the glue go brittle and turn to dust after a couple of months, you'll be gluing those same pieces together again in no time. No need to get new models, just glue the same ones over and over. Forever!
No wonder it takes so long for me to finish anything.
It has only been 3 years since I got these kits. Expect an update on them within the decade.

They are some dynamic Talos/Cronos! Love the posing. Also the bayonets and spear ends on your Kabalite helmets is genius.

I feel you on the update frequency

FWiW, I use Revell's Contacta plastic glue. I bought two of these (https://www.mrtoys.com.au/contacta-professional-28g-8056.html) over a decade ago, and have not had to replace them. My plastic models usually survive being knocked off tables, which is lucky considering how clumsy I am. If you need a replacement to the citadel crap try this!

Thank you for the praise. I have given up on separate glue types and now I'm just super-gluing everything. And I mean everything, metal, plastic, models, fingers, the neighbors cat. It is awesome.

Just read some posts about Sslyth and became inspired enough to dig through my NAND for the WIP pictures I have from my Sslyth conversion. While they might not be as cool as the GW model, they were cheap. 4 for the price of 1 kind of cheap.

Pre base coat so you can see what parts I have used







It is mostly reaper bones snake men ( yeah laugh it up Reecius! ), and dissected e-bay warriors/wyches.
I might even paint them one day.

Hah! I remember supergluing my finger to my eyelid when I was putting together an Old One Eye model years ago...

Ynneadwraith wrote:

Hah! I remember supergluing my finger to my eyelid when I was putting together an Old One Eye model years ago...

Sounds like you nearly had a case of "life, imitating art".

Great news everyone: I actually finished painting something DE related!

My looooong awaited mandrakes ( by me anyway ). I was supposed to spam them in Kill Team games, but we have started using the Heralds of Ruin rules so that plan has gone out the window. I can still field a couple of hem though.
In the campaign they are meant to be played in, I team up with Tau to help them purge an imperial outpost before they can send for reinforcements and, more importantly, tattle about who dunnit.
In order to be respectful to my allies, my mandrakes has donned their best, brand new Tau-skin pants. No, I don't know anything about that pathfinder scout party that went missing in the lumpy bumpy parts of town, outside of town. What are you implying?


The basing is a little bit uninspired, because these were assembled and primed nearly 5 years ago, before I figured out how to get the current look I have on my other models. But it kinda works.


The colors changed a little after I put on a couple of coats of matte varnish. I might have to rebalance some details, like the eyes on some of them.


Not too much going on in the back, except for the gradient in the hair. That was a wet blending nightmare...


And finally couple of action shots of them overrunning forward listening post Epsilon.


My phone has a grimdark filter!

Hope you like it.

Awesome I like the 'tau-skin skirts' if those pathfinders didn't want to get turned into fashionwear then they shouldn't have been walking around with shadows behind them. I mean, it's not that hard is it?

I'm liking the action-shots, especially the one with the 'grimdark filter' makes it look like they're being observed through a telescope or somesuch

I like those quite a lot actually, the robes in particular are ace. Nice work!

Thanks guys. They were a great learning opportunity for painting organic shapes, and a welcome break from edge highlighting armor plates all day long.

I finished something again!
Dark Eldar related no less.
As custom has it I once again painted something up just in time for the rules to change so that I can't actually use them in games as I intended when I built them. But that is what magnets are for I suppose.

Zoom zoom zoom!






The camera does not do the reds justice but if you squint you might make out the edge highlights. They are perfectly visible IRL though.
None of the pictures clearly shows this, but the open display panels in front of the riders has a green OSL effect that is supposed to be the source of the green in the riders visors. You might be able to make it out in the first picture.
Two riders have blasters in the images, but I have a set of heat lances painted up for them as well. Only one of the cluster caltrops dispensers is magnetized and can be swapped for a grav talon. I could not for the life of me get the other cluster caltrop off. That is the charm with second hand models. The arena champions weapon hand is also replaceable with a regular rider hand for when I get around to painting the real arena champion. ( so that is probably never going to get used...)
Enjoy!

Awesome, like the glow effect on the visors.

I've also got the same Sslyth alternatives to build up, just haven't yet brought myself to cut him in half and stick some bodies on!

Thanks man. I usually can't be arsed with too much glazing, but with those helmets you kind of have to.
Good luck on the Sslyth. It was a fairly straightforward build. I also remember some hesitation before making that first cut. But then I remembered how cheap those reaper minis were.
I hope you will show it off in your plog when you get around to completing it.

I fell for GWs trap and went out and got contrast paints.
Now I'm finishing projects left and right having tons of fun. Grumble grumble.  
Unfortunately very few dark eldar related projects so far, but I did do a color test on this here Haemonculus. Nothing but a zenithal highlight and glazes.
I finished the rest of the base with acrylics after this picture was taken.

Totally forgot about these guys, but who can blame me. They will probably never be used. Great fun to paint though and as you can see I had some more experience with the contrast paints. They are really good for creating gradients and transitions.
The scenery piece is replacement RC car tires on MDF.