Void Scorpions

So, to appease my doubts once and for all, I painted a second tryout warrior just to make sure. And I must say, I like them more and more! Sure they are unconventional, but the contrast is excellent without feeling wrong and they still look mean enough. All together I think they will be cool!

The only thing that saddens me somewhat is that my 'first generation wyches' are painted with red as a secondary colour next to yellow and metal as standard, I like them a lot more with brown as secondary and red only for details in the end, as they are here, and I absolutely detest going back to redo painted models...

So I bought myself a Dark Eldar Battleforce box, meaning I can't buy myself new stuff until february (on a budget, one box each month...) but saved 20 euros and doubled my force.

I tried to make a 1000 point list out of it, but what vexed me were the last 80 points after the purchase of a venom in february to mount my succubus and bloodbrides...

So....... Would I finally field my one and only haemonculus with the succubus?

Now I don't like the idea of shrivelled evil old men in a wych cult, totally different energies. But the idea of a free pain token for my bloodbrides is of course a nice one, even if I'll miss the fleet.

In any case, if I field a haemonculus *she* would not be too similar to the rest of them. I was thinking more oldschool daemonette meets WFB vampire, as close to true Slaanesh as I can, a soul reaper with a vexator mask for fluff values and added defense.

Now what model would be cool? Do I ebay myself a daemonette to convert hugely, do I go on buying a female WFB vampire or do I seek into the ranges of other miniature designers? And how to arm a 'soul reaper'? I was thinking: vexator mask, animus vitae, scissorhand, to bring the model to 80 points.

Imperial Death Cult Assassins might be good bases, as would the dark elf sorceress, hugely converted of course (greenish gnarlskin, a pleasant looking mask, scissorhand reaching outwards, animus vitae staff...)...



Ideas?

Perhaps you could use some of the vampires from the new coven chariot thingy? You can pick them up on Ebay individually.

Hmmm I looked at those coven chariot vampires but I think they will be modelled in positions too impractical to use here...

Yesterday I finished my first five warriors... and went to bed with the idea that - yes - I will probably redo my first ten wyches in this fashion.



In order to understand the difference, I have just assembled one wych to paint in this fashion, comparison will come and your taste of aesthetics would be most welcome!

The technique i use here is awesome in case of contrast, but oh so unforgiving for mistakes...

It is as I thought: here a comparison of my first and second generation wyches (new one on the left, old one on the right), and I can finally decide why I don't really like the old model: too much red makes the whole model light up like a christmas tree. Good perhaps on Harlequins but not on a whole army. Plus too few armour, far too much white highlight, and yellow shade which turns out almost orange?

Reference is the warrior on the far left, which I liked enough to consider this whole issue.

So I guess it is time to bring out the white spray can and redo them, even though I don't really like that prospect, this IS a creative project for me, my fourth army (after Empire, Imperial Guard and 'a goblin anti-orc revolution') and one I want to be brilliant (to my taste).



EDIT: an alternative to the haemonculus in a 1000 points list could be to remove both hekatrii from the wych squads, replace them by a succubus each, remove the bloodbride/venom squad entirely, and instead pay the saved 170 points on an allied detachment of 5 rangers and a banished farseer - out to meddle in the affairs of Man and Dark Eldar alike. Shame I lack 5 points, that Doom psychic power would be great to guide my weapons and fluff rich as well, now Eldritch Storm will have to do... In any case I love the Ranger models and would love to paint some! ETA for such a build, bought and painted, would be february or march if I play the Ebay cards right...

I like the yellow colour scheme. It's an interesting change from the norm. I would love to see some more shading and highlights on the yellow parts, though. Maybe a little brown wash in the crevices and a bright highlight on the edge?

Very, very, nice job on that yellow. As always, I am enjoying your brightly coloured army, although I do agree with Foo, a wash in the crevices could do wonders.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks. I'll think about it, however not having such a brown shade would bring me back to the shop...

Also I am not quite sure that I can control that process, not a shade adept really... Perhaps watered down?

EDIT: I repeat my question: how would you do such a shade? I can try it on the old wyches.

Ahhh I really love this single wych. Pretty mean character there! :-)

5 second generation wyches finished at last, I should really ease up on the white highlight...

Awesome Wyches!

My advice for the shading, I would give a drybrush to the raised edges of white. Then I would do a thin wash all over the armour with a dark yellow and repeat that a couple of times. Then, in between the cracks, you could drag the wash through the grooves with the tip of the brush.

I did a similar technique on my Warriors, but using blue, and they came out like this:


I hope this helps.

A miracle! My haemonculus actually managed to reach the battlefield before my succubus did!

A bit 'alternative' but... Yes. She'll do.

(and I DO like it more to paint with a black undercoat...)



EDIT: I think I'll call her not a haemonculus but a 'pain maiden'. The idea that is brewing is that parents in grave debt servitude offer their trueborn children to the arena to become focalizers in giving or receiving pain, aided by haemonculi to that effect. In this instance, her eyes were torn out entirely as a child, and she has grown to see with psychic eyes and reflexes only. In the arena this pain maiden's task is to train the warriors there into growing stronger out of dealing or feeling pain. The pain maiden is a second in command to an archon or a succubus in charge of the arena.

Just like to say, i very much like the yellow colour scheme! black and dark colours have been over used and your wyches and warriors seem like they are in a bone type armour. If extremely fast close quarters killers wearing your friends bones as armour isn't scary enough, i don't know what is!

First of all, Dodo, thanks!

I am not dead! Just further away. Lots of other stuff to do, including work (me so happy!)

After some investments, I finally managed to bring all my DE infantry together!

Being:

- succubus with venom blade and haywire grenades, pain maiden (haemonculus) with animus vitae, 8 bloodbrides with haywire grenades (250 points)
- hekatrix with venom blade, 9 wyches with haywire grenades (135 points)
- hekatrix with venom blade, 9 wyches with haywire grenades (135 points)
- sybarite and 9 warriors (100 points)
- sybarite and 9 warriors (100 points)

I dare you to top 50 infantry in an airmobile 1500 points army



Now to get all of them transports, some ravagers and some reavers and we're done!

(sigh...)

EDIT: ah and yes, I finally released my white spray can on my first ten finished wyches, as I just didn't like them. But now I've nailed both my army list and my technique, so the rest should go way smoother!

Looking great...the vehicles in particular...love the raider!

MordredBloodyhand wrote:

Looking great...the vehicles in particular...love the raider!

Thanks!

I am acheing to finish this infantry... They are aligned on my coffee table in different stages of completion. I think we can only judge the whole when they are done... I am also impatient to learn how the gathering would look on a true battlefield: 5 raiders spewing out bright yellow models... (not the warriors, of course, those 10 points for splinter racks each giving 10 BS4 splinter rifles rerolls to hit must be my most cost effective 10 points on the field...)

Aaarggghhh I am back to the drawing board!

I couldn't agree with myself how to add 2 reavers and bring the whole from 10 to 12, in 2 units with champion.

Also, the haywire grenades on wyches and bloodbrides made me decide to switch the guns on my (hypothetical) ravagers from dark lances to disintegrators, as I figured that was enough AT.

Now I am thinking...

If I throw out all of my haywires and make all wyches pure AI, replace the disintegrators back to dark lances (bringing the total to 11), I could add those 2 reavers and still have 17 points to spare.

What would be the best build? And what to do with those 17 points???

Please help me out with army comparisons here:

Quote :

ARMY BUILD ONE

HQ (310 points)

- succubus with venom blade and haywire grenades (75 points)
- pain maiden (haemonculus) with animus vitae (55 points)
- 8 standard bloodbrides with haywire grenades (120 points)
- in a raider with dark lance (60 points)

ASSAULT TROOPS (390 points)

- 10 standard wyches with haywire grenades led by hekatrix with venom blade (135 points)
- in a raider with dark lance (60 points)

- 10 standard wyches with haywire grenades led by hekatrix with venom blade (135 points)
- in a raider with dark lance (60 points)

FIRE SUPPORT TROOPS (340 points)

- sybarite and 9 standard mercenary warriors (100 points)
- in a raider with splinter racks and dark lance (70 points)

- sybarite and 9 standard mercenary warriors (100 points)
- in a raider with splinter racks and dark lance (70 points)

FAST ATTACK (250 points)

- arena champion with venom blade and 4 standard reavers (125 points)
- arena champion with venom blade and 4 standard reavers (125 points)

HEAVY SUPPORT (230 points)

- ravager with 3 disintegrators (105 points)
- ravager with 3 disintegrators (105 points)

TOTAL (1500 points)

Quote :

ARMY BUILD TWO

HQ (289 points)

- succubus with venom blade (70 points)
- pain maiden (haemonculus) with animus vitae (55 points)
- 8 standard bloodbrides (104 points)
- in a raider with dark lance (60 points)

ASSAULT TROOPS (350 points)

- 10 standard wyches led by hekatrix with venom blade (115 points)
- in a raider with dark lance (60 points)

- 10 standard wyches led by hekatrix with venom blade (115 points)
- in a raider with dark lance (60 points)

FIRE SUPPORT TROOPS (340 points)

- sybarite and 9 standard mercenary warriors (100 points)
- in a raider with splinter racks and dark lance (70 points)

- sybarite and 9 standard mercenary warriors (100 points)
- in a raider with splinter racks and dark lance (70 points)

FAST ATTACK (294 points)

- arena champion with venom blade and 5 standard reavers (147 points)
- arena champion with venom blade and 5 standard reavers (147 points)

HEAVY SUPPORT (230 points)

- ravager with night shield and 3 dark lances (115 points)
- ravager with night shield and 3 dark lances (115 points)

TOTAL (1503 points)

You see, in the second build I have even more figures on the table, and my specials are even less. Just only two night shields added, I love the idea of staying out of firing range of the enemy. But I have lost all of my haywires...

No answers?

Anyway I have decided to keep both the haywires and all 11 dark lances. It might give me somewhat too many AT, but then I'll just keep the 60 point haywires as a backup plan, and all wyches/bloodbrides as knives through butter.

After many months of inactivity on my DE strike force, I finally did something with the tip of some here to add an extra oil for more depth. This was 'Seraphim Sepia'. A first warrior shown here to clarify the effect. Better?

The colors look interesting, but the photo is under exposed so it has a pinkish tint to it.

I do like the dark and light color mix.

GAR wrote:

The colors look interesting, but the photo is under exposed so it has a pinkish tint to it.

I do like the dark and light color mix.

Just a terrible webcam picture... My camera is broken down.

Hey, sorry for my age of absence, but frankly I am having a major fallout with Games Workshop, both based on rules and new armies & their way of making business. My attention these days goes to a Flames of War army. I am very sorry, I would like to continue and finish this army project, but right now I don't feel like GW. I hope you can understand! Cheers.