Saturday 6 December 2014

Let's Spear It For The Boys

And just like that we're back to business.

Painted Dark Elves

It was a toss-up whether these Delves would break me before I broke them. Having cracked a unit of 40 Dreadspears in a week, I reckon I've stormed well past the half-way mark. Nothing but gravy from here on in, as this was the last large unit of monotonous troopers.


We're not monotonous! Look, I'm facing a different direction to the others!

And actually, after a week off, I was raring to go. These spears have the same bodies as the previous crossbowelves, and it's not the most inspiring set of corseleted soldiers to having facing you down across the paint station. Especially when they're all purple. Even though they look predominantly green in these shots, they aren't - their chain skirts are all shimmering purple, so from the back that's the key note, in keeping with the rest of the army.

Toooooot.

When painting big blocks, I tend to open one pot of paint and then conveyor-belt my way through everything in the whole unit that needs to be that colour. After the first couple, I speed up a lot, basically through practice on the same old chunks. Then the long winter evenings just fly by.

"Mixed Elf Army lists are a thing now? Are you high, elf?"
"Yeah. Maybe."

The champion is a slightly darker version of the same purple, green and black scheme, with richer leather gloves and the luxury of a sword. Which is a bloody awful thing to be fighting with when all around you have spears, I can tell you from experience. It telegraphs to your opponents that you're a weak point in the line, one they can close in on and do for. Lucky old champion.

Nooo! I thought I was going to be a Bleasksword!

The banner sort of represents a bunch of spears stabbing a bunch of hearts. In case the elves lose their sense of purpose on the battlefield, I suppose.

One-hundred-and-eighty!

Painting Guide: -


  • Spandex Chainmail - Purple basecoat washed with Druchii Violet, then drybrushed with a blend of Runefang Silver and Amethyst. 
  • Cuirasses and Speartips- Abaddon Black with Chainmail drybrush, the odd spot of Runefang for highlighting. The spear hafts are plain Rhinox Hide. 
  • Leather - Skrag Brown with a Agrax wash
  • Straps - Abaddon Black with Tyrant Skull drybrush
  • Green Bits - Incubi Darkness, layered with Kabalite Green and drybrushed with Hellion Green
  • Robes - Stegadon Scale washed with Deadly Nightshade
  • Pink Sashes - Emperor's Children washed with Red Ink and drybrushed with Tentacle Pink
  • Flesh - Kislev Flesh washed with watered down Flesh Wash and layered with Pallid Wychflesh


Couldn't get through the week without some characters, though, so here's another sorceress. I've almost run out of these, there's only another two left.

Dark Elves
From the right - green hair!

The lightning effect was painted over Incubi Darkness, and is blue lines starting from Stegadon Scale and shading up to White Scar. I'm quite pleased with the way the hand turned out (much better in real life. Or my eyesight is failing enough that I think it is, anyway), as though she's just moments away from throwing a Doombolt at someone.

From the left - purple!

Only one big block of infantry left, but I'm splitting that one! Busy weeks ahead. Also: Pirates.

2 comments:

  1. 40 Elves at once is a fair effort. I like the banner - wish I could get myself motivated to lavish attention on my banners.

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  2. Cheers! It only took about twenty minutes, actually. Getting to do something a bit fancy is one of the many incentives I use to bait myself through the grind.

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