Gotz AoEz

So after catching up on the correct army building rules, here is my revised list.

Fluffy for me, as its pretty much all Skyre and as much techno zaps as I can get into these points.

Skaven (Standard) Selections:

Lords

• Grey Seer

Heroes

• Chieftain
  Battle Standard Bearer, Charmed Shield, Great Weapon
• Warlock Engineer
  Doomrocket

Core

• Clanrats
  Clawleader, Musician, Poisoned Wind Mortar, Standard Bearer
  • 20x Clanrats
    20x Shield
• Clanrats
  Clawleader, Musicia , Poisoned Wind Mortar, Standard Bearer
  • 20x Clanrats
    20x Shield 

Special 

• Gutter Runners
  Deathrunner, Two hand weapons
  • 5x Gutter Runners
    5x Poisoned Attacks, 5x Slings

Rare

• Warp Lightning Cannon
• Warp Lightning Cannon

More rats

The completed standard bearer and packleader.  Blah blah something something.

Two rats, left side-ish view!

The same two rats, just from the other side.

More homework and why I loathe macro settings on cameras

Why?  Because it shows me just how rubbish my paint skills are!

This lesson was for blending.  It took one night to do.  I am not going to show the comparison by the teacher because his awesomeness makes me cry.

Anyway here it is from either side, short and long distance.  I am still tempted to dip him in quickshade, but I will stick this out!  Heck only two of us are doing the class still from the original twelve.

I must say, the long distance shot makes him look awesome!  Different close up hehe.

Homework & painting

Another fortnight has gone by and I have finished my next master class piece of homework.
Again that grainy effect is apparent, but at least from a distance it does not look too bad.

And my latest batch of rats that I tried the zenithal undercoating with.  Not happy again, but hey its another eight to the fodder.  I am happy with how the eyes are looking on my guys now.  Painting them first and then painting the skin in to them works better than trying to put it in after for me.

That brings my Skaven army up to 55 playable models!

My Master Class homework: Session 3 - Basecoats

As you guys know I made a major error in a paint. My replacement one finally arrived today and I started this at 5.00pm

Shown below is how it looks as at midnight.  This camera is a bit rubbish.  The small image looks pretty damn fine, but the close up sickens me.

Anyway, Paul told me to post it, so here it is.

Teachers model (also better picture..)

Clanrats

This is my first pack of clanrats including the musician for the unit.

I have done a few extra things on these rats as part of skill building, including the armour edges (most dark, but one has lighter) and a new eye painting method which whilst not perfect on average has a better outcome with the eyes (eg more of them actually in the eye sockets this time!).

However I made one horrendous mistake whilst doing the quick shade.  After the traditional dunk and shake and dabbed away excess pools of the ink with an old dust cloth.  Unfortunately many small hairs from these deposited nicely into the drying ink and stuck there.  This has spoilt a few of the figures and most definately closer pictures.  But hey, its something to remember not to do again.  Lint free non shredding paper next time!

Works in progress

I have not posted anything in a while, but hey more recently than the other two contributors (I am looking at you Paul and Rob...), but I have not been idle.

I am halfway through my first eight clan rats.  They will look considerably different to the slave rats, and not just because they are a better geared model.  I am excited, at least at this point, as to how they will turn out.  I would like to think my ability with the brush has increased slightly!

Ive also signed up for a master class on the Underempire forums.  One of the skilled painters there is running a course over multiple weeks teaching us techniques etc on a clan rat figure.  This course goes from on the sprue to completed model.  We send in pictures of our progress and get comments & tips on each section (omg its like homework)!

If I only learn one new skill the course will be worth it.  And it is not going to be onerous as well.  One figure, each section lasts two weeks.

Here is an example of the finished product.

See you next time and hopefully with some finished Clanrats!

Pyrrhic Victory?

I have completed another batch of rats and just like previous I included a Rat Ogre in the mix.  Rob had mentioned that he was not sure about the colour on the base edges and funnily enough my friend who visited over easter echoed the same comment.  He thought it was too much 'brown'.  As I am using the ROgre's to test things out and hopefully hone my skill (or lack there of), I tested a different colour.

I also wanted to test out the slave rank faded red armour, glowing runes and a different method for painting the eyes.  On the whole I am pretty happy with how all three of these turned out, especially the armour.  However I had drastic failings on the quick shade removal and this has spoilt a lot of my semi good work.

Anyway, here he is in all his dirty glory.

Roger the Rat Ogre

Its no secret I obtained my initial Skaven figures from my good friend Rob.  I really appreciated the large influx of figures even if some had been assembled.

Roger the Rat Ogre is just one of these.  However the glue on his joints had popped and I could not get it to settle again nicely.

Even though I will never be fielding a Rat Ogre, I thought I should paint it up anyway.  They can be used as a unit filler if anything and besides that practice is always good.

I tried to paint coppery lines down the cracks to show its splitting at the seems, but it didnt turn out that great, nor did I get a good picture of said cracks.  But still, here he is in all his non glory.

And here he is with a few of his lads painted in the same batch.  Just to see how it looks amongst other figures.  Also in the fuzzy distance is the next batch of eight waiting to be washed.

Arise favoured weapons team!

As you guys know, I decided to give my PWM team a crack.  And I am very happy with the result.  Well, Im happy I do not look like a complete numpty at least.  I assuredly will continue with this hobby.

Potential Skaven Army List

I am going to get my A into G and order my figures for my army.  But I have this crazy idea I should roughly know what I am playing to facilitate my order and ensure I have enough figures (and dont buy too much of another).

So for dissection and comment, here is the alpha list of the exploding skungaleenies that is my army.

Lords
Grey Seer - Earthing Rod, The Screaming Bell

Heroes
Chieftain - BSB, Shield, Talisman of Preservation
Warlock Engineer - Warp-Energy Condenser, Wizard Level 1
Warlock Engineer - Doomrocket

Core
Clanrats x 24 - Full Command, Shields, Poisoned Wind Mortar Weapons Team (bunker unit)
Clanrats x 40 - Full Command, Shields, Warpfire Thrower Weapons Team (bell unit)
Skavenslaves x 40 - Musician, Shields
Skavenslaves x 40 - Musician, Shields
Skavenslaves x 40 - Musician, Shields
Stormvermin x 20 - Full Command, Razor Standard, Poisoned Wind Mortar Weapons Team

Special
Gutter Runners x 9 - Poisoned Attack (artillery hunters)

Rare
Doomwheel
Hell Pit Abomination - Warpstone spikes
Warp Lightning Cannon

2399/2400

WIP shots of Dreaded 13th spell victims

With figures I am not using I still wanted to use them up if possible.  I thought about the idea of setting them aside to use as victims of the dreaded 13th spell.  I want to make them ghost like with red eyes and a different base to the rest of the army, perhaps all static grass.

What do you reckon about the green ghostliness on these?  So far its 4 layers of 3:1 green wash from Vallejo.

WIP Ghost Rats

Background Fluff

This is the first part of the background fluff I have written for my clan.

A steely blue and red leather ball rolls across the stone floor, over a threshold, teeters precariously on a ledge before toppling down. The lop-sided old weathered steps cause the ball to bounce unpredictably, hindering Han's attempts at retrieval, causing a nasally whine to escape from the boys mouth, "awwwwwwwww".

The ball skids on the last step and veers off into the darkened room and judging for the sound hits a large wooden barrel before coming to a stop somewhere unseen. Shoulders slumping and continuing to sigh, Hans reaches knowingly up the wall, takes a lantern down and strikes the wick.

He knows he should not be in the creamery, especially this far down but surely it is not his fault that the doors were left open and that his ball was not behaving. His father however, the head Kasehersteller in Altdorf was not the forgiving kind and so Hans redoubled his efforts in searching for that damnable ball.

The lantern light slowly clears the oppressive gloom as Hans searches through the room. He nears the back and the waste whey pipes, catches a glimpse of red and blue just as the ball rolls into the darkness through a hole in the wall that the pipes pass through. With a resounding sigh he heaves his shoulders, and silently prays it does not block anything. He leaves the cellar but not before extinguishing the lantern and kicking the bottom step for good measure. He is sure it is nearing dinner time anyway, and the lost ball is swiftly forgotten.

Unbeknownst to Herr Kasehersteller there is a hole in his waste whey pipes. A small yet not inconsiderably breach has formed over the years and as it is between walls, has gone unnoticed. At least that is, unnoticed by man. 
-
Skritskrit and his pack had been assigned yet another foraging run in the old tombs buried hundreds of feet below Altdorf. Forgotten heroes, fathers, brothers and many more lay in the cold earth far below the city they called home. If they knew what the vile Skaven were doing to their remains, they would roll in their graves, not to mention what their descendants would do if they heard of the atrocities being committed below their feet.

Sqatch chirped in delight as he removed a very well preserved Altdorf tabard from a jumble of bones, and proudly displayed it to the others. It was not until after the event he realised what a mistake that was, another rat would surely attempt to steal it off him in an attempt to be the first to offer such a quality piece to their seer. As if to answer his thoughts, a claw swats him into the wall and Skritskrit removed the cloth from the now limp Sqatch's paw.

Erupting nest of rat goodness

As you guys know, I have been trying to paint for three months now and have just finished my 24th figurine (which makes 25th ever).

Here are pictures of the latest batch.

First slaverat unit musician, Bob.

Latest batch of eight.

Ragged group shot centering on Bob the drama queen.

The first twenty four in all their glory!