Chariot Charge

Obviously a Tomb Kings army needs to feature some of their signature models, the skeleton chariots. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to finally put the classic plastic kits to good use, combining them with some later skeleton and Tomb Kings parts.

The chariot squadron leads the charge

Painting all the bones by hand is a somewhat tedious but not overly taxing process. I’m planning a second rank already, but for the core army of 1,000 points these three should strike fear into the hearts of their enemies already.

Even in death, the charioteers revel in the rush of battle

Bones, hooves and spears smash into their enemies

Chariots are perfect for the desolate battlefields of Nehekhara

The ancient horn calls the legions to war

While I had all forces arrayed on the battlefield, I also observed that the old archer regiments, which were based on some haphazardly drybrushed figures of yore, looked a bit flat and didn’t tie in very well with the style of bone I have been recently painting. In order to improve on that, I added an additional highlight of pure white while also doing a bit of extra work on the metals.

Their arrows find their targets with unnatural accuracy

Warhammer Armies – Warriors of Chaos

My Warriors of Chaos for Warhammer Fantasy Battle have marshalled in strength (1,000 points under 8th Edition rules to be precise) to raid the civilised lands. Serving their dark gods under the banner of Chaos Undivided, they form a core army of no-nonsense fighters around which daemons and cults of all denominations can gather in future.

Bursting from the Chaos Wastes

Leading these mobs of murderers are a massive Chaos Lord and a twisted Chaos Sorcerer. Both figures are Games Day special editions and very nice sculpts in my opinion. The Chaos Lord is a version of Archaon the Everchosen on foot, a serious chunk of metal.

I like that the Chaos Sorcerer has some Tzeentchian vibes about him, which is fitting being a magic wielder, even though his soul isn’t (yet) fully in the claws of the Great Conspirator.

The Chaos Lord wields a possessed blade

The Chaos Sorcerer channels swirling warp energy

The regiments marching with them to war are largely built from plastic sets, with the exception of the leader of the Chaos Warriors (another Games Day figure) and the classic chariot.

Chaos Warriors are merciless killers in the name of their dark gods

Chaos Knights crush their enemies with a thunderous charge

Chaos Marauders revel in their savagery

A Chaos Chariot is sent ahead to break the defenders’ lines

There are many ‘allies’ waiting in the wings to join these Warriors of Chaos in their crusade, from brutish Beastmen to nightmarish Daemons of Slaanesh, Nurgle and Khorne. I hope my armies of the Empire and the Dwarfs can be raised quickly enough to stem the rising tide of Chaos before it is too late.

The Chaos Lord leads his forces from the front

The Chaos Warriors serve their gods through battle

And Now the End is Near

The mob of flagellants is ready to preach fire and brimstone at the end of an iron flail across the Empire. While Warhammer 8th Edition rewards massive armies with hordes of 30+ models, I am more interested in painting moderately sized forces with a variety of archetypal troop types. It’s always possible to double up later.

We’ve come to talk to you about your salvation

Throwing together three generations of sculpts made this an enjoyable painting project. The models from the Mordheim range sport the most additional detail, which is very characterful. Admittedly I could have added extra bits and pieces to the newer figures from the plastic kit, but for an entire regiment I am quite happy keeping it simple. The Marauder Miniatures versions are the most plain, but do have individual character with distinct faces and poses.

Flagellants from the Mordheim range

Citadel plastic kit for flagellants

Early flagellants by Marauder Miniatures

Leading the charge for my Witch Hunter contingent and the wider Empire forces I am building, these guys are some of the few humans I have painted for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. While not going to reach my Imperial Guard numbers anytime soon, I do hope to rectify this somewhat over the next months.

Those Chaos Warriors will need some convincing

It’s flails all around in a frenzied clash

Fighting Fire With Fire

The second contingent size force for Warhammer Fantasy Battle I am working on is based around a Witch Hunter and the followers he has stirred up. These consist of a unit of flagellants, some free company fighters and a group of huntsmen.

Rooting out heresy by fire and sword

I started off with the flagellants, combining the current plastic kit with old Marauder sculpts. Altogether I am aiming for 15, which will also include figures from the Mordheim range.

Your doom cometh

The Witch Hunter is also a Mordheim model. Once this contingent is finished, it should provide a good recruiting pool for a warband to head into the City of the Damned.

The executioner’s sword is kept busy

Painting flames for me is a pain, but they do give this faction a suitable vibe. Much more enjoyable to paint was this flagellant carrying a stack of books on his back, who has always been a favourite sculpt.

Off spreading their faith to the next town

¡Viva Estalia!

On top of the various army size projects I have in the works for Warhammer, I have plans for a number of mercenary and allied contingents, aimed at the 500 points mark. One of them are Estalians, built around the Dogs of War releases and specifically Pirazzo’s Lost Legion figures.

To start off, I finally managed to paint a ten strong unit of handgunners, consisting of old Citadel sculpts from the Empire range, conversions of Pirazzo’s legionnaires and a Conquistador figure by the Perrys that I got as a freebie in the distant past.

The unit champion gives the fire order

Pirazzo’s soldiers can be equipped by default with pikes or crossbows, meaning that the slots for their hands are well suited for operating handguns too. The firearms and hands are taken from Mordheim and Empire free company kits.

The handgunners occupy a village

The single piece Empire soldiers add some additional variety to the unit. They have less detail in terms of pouches, Lustrian gold emblems etc. and were therefore much faster to paint. I’m not complaining.

Taking a potshot