Knights of the Putrid Wind

Housed within the stronghold of Vampire Kain, the Knights of the Putrid Wind represent one of the deadliest Vampire Blood Knight orders of the Old World. Known for their unnatural speed and vampiric strength, they cause terror in enemy ranks of any race. Apart from being the fastest armored cavalry unit within the New Night Order, they are also infamous for spreading unbearable stench on the battlefield. The vampires are mounted on decaying zombie steeds who are animated by the dark necro-magic, also responsible for the putrid stench that leaves the enemies nauseated and incapable of fighting back in full effort. The pale riders are clad in full plate armor and draped in black capes that do their deadly dance in the wind when charge commences. 

The leader of the unit, Neghan - the Pale Duke is not your average vampire. Extremely brutal and merciless, he has a habit of decapitating his victims and impaling their heads onto his helm for decoration. When Knights of the Putrid Wind partake in battle, the soil of the battlefield remains dead and infertile for decades, deepening the misery of common man.

The miniatures I've used for this unit are Mournful Knights by Gamezone Miniatures. I always loved the models for they menacing and vicious look but above all, for their poses, they are packed with action. That being said, there is a downside to these old models. The miniatures are metal and there are some gaps that needed to be filled with modeling putty. Also it is sometimes hard to differentiate what is what on the model. Finally, if you are playing WHFB like me, you will struggle to fit all the bases together, side by side. It takes careful planing and positioning of the models to do so. All in all I really like the final result and can't wait to put them on the battlefield! 

To see all the posts concerning Knights of The Putrid Wind follow the blood knights label. 

Mournful Knight #5

Today I finished the last vampire for my Mournful Knights unit (counts as Blood Knights). I'm happy how he turned out. I really dig the pose of the mini. After putting this project aside for a considerable amount time, I'm glad I returned to it and finally completed the unit. Now only thing left is to make some group photos and think of a background story. 🧛

Mournful Knight Musician

I have returned to my Mournful Knights (Blood Knights) after putting them aside for some time. Painting Gamezone Miniatures tends to be a bit exhausting sometimes. As much as I like them it gets really frustrating at times because it's really hard to tell what is what on the miniature. Not once have I painted something on one of their miniatures not knowing what it actually represents. Nonetheless, I have finished the hornblower for the unit. That is now four out of five done. Can't wait to finish the unit and make a group photo.

Mortreich's Black Knights

Mortreich's Black Knights represent the spearhead of the Mortreich Legion which is comprised of Black Guard and Black Knights. When the legion marches to war Black Knights are always in the first ranks leading the skeletal warriors into battle. They are often joined by the Nightfang Specter Lord who leads the undead cavalry into unstoppable and terrifying charge. They are wielding the banner representing Mortreich's coat of arms and are considered to be his most elite troops.

Originally I intended to make the unit 24 man strong, but I decided to leave them at 16 for now. This is more then a decent number and I can easily get back to them in the future, when I feel like it, and add one more rank. Now I want to move on to other units.

Mortreich's Black Knights WIP pt.3

For my Black Knights standard bearer I wanted to use the classic skeleton horseman (I believe from 1993.) which I had sitting in my collection for quite some time. After some thinking I gathered the bits I needed for the project. For the hand holding the banner pole I used the one from the 90's Black Knights Command group blister. Flag is from the Death Upgrade Kit from Games Workshop.

On the horseman I had to cut off the arm, and on the banner pole the blade and the scull. I also had to remove all the rivets from the pole. Once I removed all unwanted parts I assembled the model. I left the banner unglued so I can paint the model easier. 

The new arm fitted perfectly onto the body. I didn't even have to use the modelling putty. Once I had it assembled it was time to bring him to un-life with some colors. :)

After I finished painting I realized that the banner is causing the model not to fit into the unit. I resolved this by heating the lower part of the banner (since it is made in resin) with a hairdryer and banding it backwards. This way not only was I able to fit the bearer into the unit, but also the flag looks more natural, like it is waving against the wind. With the Standard Bearer done, the first rank of my massive unit of black knights is completed! 

💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

I think that the whole unit of 24 knights will be really a sight to see! 🧛

Mortreich's Black Knights WIP pt.2

I finally got around to paint some of my undead minis, after finishing with the Midgard house project (although I still have to paint it). The project took me a couple of months to finish and during that time I haven't painted any miniatures. So working on my Mortreich's Black Knights again was a real joy. I completed another three, including the champion and musician. Now I have 7 out of 24 done.

Mortreich's Black Knights WIP

This is where I'm at with my unit of Black Knights. Currently I have finished four of them out of twenty-four planed. They are basically Mortreich's Black Guard only mounted. I am painting them in the same color scheme and I gave them the same shields. I think they will look fantastic next to each other once I finish the whole unit. Big blocks of infantry and cavalry led by mighty Mortreich will be a terrifying sight to see on the battlefield for any opponent!

But first I want to finish the Midgard townhouse. Can't wait to get back to my Undead! 💀

Vampire Counts Update

Summer is in full swing and things slow down for me when it comes to the hobby. However I do manage to do some work. Recently I added one of the classic Blood Dragon Vampire miniatures to my collection. I love the Blood Dragons from the 90s so much! With time, I want to collect the whole range. He still needs a name and a background story. :)I also started to work on a big Cavalry unit based on the 90s OOP Black Knights miniatures. The unit will compose of 24-27 knights and will represent Mortreich's Black Knights. I started by doing the skeletal steeds for the first rank.

I bent and twisted some of their heads to make the unit more interesting and add variety.

Now I am going to paint the riders for the same rank and then move on to the second and third rank.

Nightfang Specter Lord

This horrible Wight champion only appears when summoned by Mortreich von Todtstein and the means of his magical blade "The Nightfang". By wielding this powerful ancient weapon and reciting but a few of his dark incantations Mortreich can instantly summon a great host of undead warriors to join him in battle. It is no wonder that this object remains one of the main reasons for envy and hatred towards Mortreich from almost every other undead commander serving under the “Night King”, especially his brother Kain. That being said it is not known where does this warrior captain originally came from and what was his role in the past life. Even his very name remains unknown both to the world of the living and the dead. He is mounted on what was once a mighty, heavy warhorse, but now a nightmarish steed, skeletal and sinister, just as his rider. Most often, when summoned, he comes forward leading the undead cavalry in unstoppable charge. The extraordinary helmet he wears and the mighty sword he is wielding tell the story of their own. Some believe these were forged in the heart of Dark Lands, near the foothills of Worlds Edge Mountains, by the Chaos Dwarves themselves and imbued with immense magical power providing him with unnatural strength and speed. Townsfolk whisper that by tapping into his true origin and rediscovering his real name one might achieve ultimate power and control over him. Is this really true or just some deranged dark fantasy of the common people hungry for power it is impossible to say, at least for now. Will it ever happen or will the world burn and become shrouded in darkness instead, we shall hopefully witness in the coming events. For the evil and the restless dead never sleep. And they never, ever, come alone...

One of those models I immediately fell in love with! The moment I saw this Mounted Wight for the first time in White Dwarf I was fascinated by it. It is hard to explain what is it exactly that I like so much about these 90's Warhammer miniatures. I absolutely love everything about them and this model embodies that style perfectly for me. I decided to paint his ancient armor in rusty tones and oxidized bronze. The only thing that is not from the original model, is the shield. I believe it is from Grave Guard upgrade kit.