Saturday 7 January 2017

From JamieM - Dark Elf Executioners (151 Points)

It's great to be back in the AHPC and I realised in past challenges that the key is getting something quickly done first..... so I completely ignored my own advice and did a big unit in one go instead....!  Hence it's taken me nearly three weeks to make my submission but the lure of the challenge has had me painting far more than I would have done previously.

But enough of my silliness, my first post consists of 30 Dark Elves, specifically Executioners.


Dark Elves are generally the bad guys and it's no exception with this lot.  These are the chaps who perform all sorts of horrible executions of the Dark Elves enemies, usually involving the ridiculously large double handed swords that they carry.


As you can see, they take being scary to another level by wearing skull faced helms.  I decided to paint these in a bone scheme to serve as lacquered armour.  The only one of these enigmatic fellows who doesn't wear such a helm is the leader.... Is this because he is the only one allowed to speak for the unit?  Is it because he has killed enough enemies that he is allowed to show his face to allow his reputation to scare the enemy?  Or is it because whilst clipping them off the sprue one helmet fell on the floor and no amount of crawling around on my hands and knees searching and cursing could find it?  I guess we'll never know....


I went with a relatively simple scheme of silver, red and gold to keep the focus on the helms and huge swords.


With regards to rules, we've started playing Age of Sigmar from Games Workshop...... a somewhat controversial game as, in a fashion all too familiar to GW watchers, they utterly botched the launch, succeeding in alienating almost all existing players and putting stupid rules in for some units (including such gems as "if you can get your opponent to look you in the eye during your turn, re-roll hits for your medusa" and "if you pretend to ride an imaginary horse during Magnus' turn, he gets +1 to hit").

Fortunately, they've rowed back from the silliness with further releases and it turns out there's a pretty fun game under it all.  It has it's problems, being essentially a first edition after all, but we're enjoying playing and it has our whole group energised and painting.  I've kept to square bases instead of the round bases GW now provide and recommend for the game as I'm old school and I can then more easily use these figures for other mass fantasy wargames rules.


I'm pleased with these guys and there are plenty more AoS figures to come if I can stick to my plan.  I've painted up the maximum sized unit because I then have options on how to use them.


These start off my challenge and my AoS side challenge, but sadly do absolutely nothing for my 30k challenge unless I can fool the opponents by claiming they are Night Lords..... Guys?

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Jamie, it's wonderful to see your first entry for this year's Challenge - and well worth the wait, if I can say so.

I'm no fan of The Age of Sigmar (and no, I cannot be swayed), but nobody can deny that this is an amazing group of figures. The metalics are so smooth and the paintwork very clean - just lovely stuff. I had to laugh at reading about you losing the helmet for the leader and resorting to another type of head. I think there is a special intra-dimensional corner in my hobby room that contains a vast assortment of tiny and indispensable items (along with snapped crayons), from dozens of fury-inducing projects.  This all being said, I think the leader having an exposed head adds that je ne sais quoi to the unit.

So, 151 points with a pip extra for the nicely done banner. Beautiful figures aside, I'm sure 
Greg and the rest of the crew from the 30K Duel will squeal with glee upon seeing these. ;)

26 comments:

  1. Great looking unit Jamie. I too have lost key plastic bits for figures. Luckily the historicals that I paint have many optional parts. Really like the shading on the red cloaks and the painted helmets.

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  2. Really nice job. These look great!

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  3. Great looking unit, more please

    Ian

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  4. Very nice opener Jamie :)


    @ Curt - crayons aren't for snapping, they're for sticking up your nose or eating while sat in the corner of the ward's day room ;)

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  5. They are great! Love that banner especially and the basing is nicely varied. If I were you, I'd just keep on churning AoS stuff, you're on a roll mate! The 30K stuff can wait... ;-)

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  6. These look fantastic, I find red one of the most difficult colours to look good and you smashed it! Well done.

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  7. Very nice group of figures and painting! Too bad they are for something that in no way resembles a strategy game, in any way shape or form. We tried a bunch of it locally, but it has zero strategy and every single game becomes a scrum in the middle. My suggestion is, take these really good looking figures and play Kings of War with them, it is a REALLY good Fantasy battle game much like an old GW fantasy battle v2 or v3. It has strategy and tactics.

    Regardless of the game you use them for, Very nice job.

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    1. I'll be honest, it's a concern. I've played a game and a half, but love the figures (certified GW addict) and whilst I had no desire to play WFB 7th edition, il hoping this works. It also helps that it's created a ride of enthusiasm in my gaming group so I'm rolling with it :) and KoW is definitely next on the list if AoS doesn't work out, I figure elves and dwarves work in a whole host of games after all.

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    2. They work in anything Jamie, but the best part of KoW is that they have a list for EVERY GW army and figure :-) Therefore you actually use what you get from GW for KOW as is. I am a GW fan boy too, hence giving AoS a try (even after the first painful game). There are a number of other fantasy rule sets out there that work, but KoW is the easiest to sell to buddies that have GW armies as there are lists for everything.

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  8. Lovely job Jamie - the palette is wonderfully and crisply executed and I'm sure many foes will cower before their mean visage and nasty looking (and BIG) blades!

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  9. Great work Jamie! I would agree on the Night Lords...but they wear blue, ya know...so close, but so far...

    Iannick is correct - forget the 30k stuff, keep killing it with fantasy my friend!

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  10. Very nice! Clearly the leader without the helmet is a Big Name Actor who refused to hide his million-dollar face behind a mask for the duration of the movie. Yeah, that's the ticket!

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    1. lol - wish I'd thought of that as it might have cheered me up as I crawled around looking!

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  11. Fantastic Jamie - way to open the game, great work.

    Did you run a wash on the swords or run highlights - sorry with my bad eyes it was to tough to tell from the pics. Regardless, looks great! Congrats --Jim--

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    1. Hi Jim, I do both. Mid metal colour, black wash and then a light silver drybrush. I don't bother with the drynrushon some figures but I reckon elves like things shiny!

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  12. Very nice! Whatever game you end up sticking to, you're going to have a beautiful looking army to play it with!

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  13. I do like the figures but the heads look very Orc. This is a good thing if you read Tolkien as Orcs were perverted and created from elves in the same way as trolls were from Ents.

    Could this be GW getting it right at last?
    Anyway your figures look very good and would grace any battlefield then entered on to. It is mostly GW I am criticising and not you in the slightest.

    As for Age of Sigmar heard f it never played it but if you enjoy it that is all that can be asked of any game.

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  14. great looking unit what ever you think of GW they produce great figures I am one who has jumpped ship to KoW and am busy painting historical and fantasy armies for that. I love you painting and look forward to seeing more as the challenge continues

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  15. What a great bunch of warriors! A very unified force.

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  16. Sorrt I don't know much about Dark Elves, but they certainly look good. Nice basing effects as well.

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  17. Thanks for all the kind comments - the challenge has worked it's magic on my motivation once again!

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  18. They certainly look the part, I've got a box in the to paint pile they may just get moved slightly higher up towards the top.

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  19. Whatever the gamessystem: these are well executed... figures mate!

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  20. I am glad you ignored your own advice and did this unit, it looks excellent. The basing is great too, they look like they are trampling through someone's nice flower garden - evil lot!

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  21. Very nice work. Would make a great unit in Kings of War. Cheers

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  22. They look awesome Jamie! Now if you'd kindly keep those pig stickers away from my poor misunderstood Rats that would be appreciated!

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