Black Coach WIP pt.2 + New Necromancer

A little update on my Vampire Counts. I continued to work on my Black Coach. I have painted the Wraith, two torches and the coffin. The flames on the torches I painted in vibrant green color. I use the same green color on the eyes of the skeletons and everything magic related. This way I get a nice contrast with the red/black color scheme of my army. Next I need to paint two Nightmares and make a base for the model.

I also painted another Necro for my Undead force. This time it's a Heresy Lab miniature. Usually I am not a big fan of those crazy, over the top flaming crowns, which you can also find on some of the Age Of Sigmar miniatures, like Flagellants or Hexwraiths, but it kind of fits this mini. I wanted to make a blood dripping effect from the skull so I experimented with a small piece of plastic nylon which I glued to the necro's hand and reinforced with super attack so that it doesn't bend. Then I painted it with Blood For The Blood God color. I think that the effect turned out ok. Now he needs a name and a background story. :)

Black Coach WIP pt.1

Recently I acquired one of iconic Vampire Counts models (at least for me), the classic Black Coach. After stripping the paint from the old model I started to work on the main body. I decided that my coach will be predominantly made of wood, so I carved the wood grain in the plain surfaces. I am very happy with the look so far. I'm thinking about replacing the two torches that come on the roof with two lanterns, but I haven't decided yet. Also I think I might replace the skeletal steeds with black horses in black cloth. I think the coach will look darker and more sinister that way. We'll see. :)

Working on the next big skeleton unit

So for my next big skeleton unit I am going to be using Games Workshop Grave Guard models from 1999. I like the models. However, I don't think they fit perfectly in style with other Vampire Counts miniatures from that period. Perhaps that is the reason they were very short-lived and were replaced in 2001. Also they newer made a command group for this unit which is kind of annoying.

At first, I painted all the clothes in black, and armor in dark metallic color. I wanted to add some red, since all my units have some red on them, so I decided to paint the straps in red. However, after finishing first four, I wasn't 100% satisfied. It turned out I didn't really like the red straps in the end. It just wasn't realistic since these would be definitely made in leather. So I decided to paint them in brown colors. However now I was left without any red, so I decided to ditch the rusty shields and replace them with Empire spearmen shields which I then painted in red color. These shields have the symbol of a lion on them which kind of looks like a dragon, so I think they fit quite nicely with the unit. I also decided to add some rust to the armor plating. So here is the final paint scheme I'm satisfied with:

Valdemar Von Todtstein

Son of Kain. Extremely violent and sadistic creature even by Vampire standards. Known to rip and eat the faces of his victims leaving them in horrifying state. Clad in Blood Dragon armor and draped in red cape, he is a real nightmare for people across the Empire. Eaten faces are his signature. Loyal to his father above all, he often spreads terror by his side, leaving Kain astound at times by the cruelty of his son. The slaughter of townsfolk and local man-at-arms in the village of Brashovice is where he left his biggest mark. 

In life he was an infamous, expert duelist, very hot headed. No man wanted to offend him or cross his path - it didn't take much for Valdemar to throw down the gauntlet. Every noble who did, payed with his head. In un-life his choice of weapons remained the same, a pair of dueling swords.

This is one of the Games Workshop "midhammer" Blood Dragon minis. Released in 6th edition, this line of Vampire minis is my all time favorite! Plan is to collect and paint them all, both on foot and mounted. Although traditionally Blood Dragon armor is in red color, I kind of like my armor to be in metallic colors. I gave him the red cape instead.

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.

Expanding the Todtstein Zombie Horde

Lately I've been adding more zombies to the Todstein Zombie Horde. I'm trying out different companies, converting models and adding some oldhammer Games Workshop Zombie models from the early 90's. When I ordered Mournful Knights from the Gamezone Miniatures I received one female zombie model cast in resin as a sample. I think the model is awesome - really gruesome and will add to variety of my zombie troops.

This cool zombie which looks like an undead Empire captain I received from Heresy Lab Miniatures. The model by itself looks great. However it does not fit well with the rest of my unit. The head is way smaller then on the rest of my zombies. Also the model is a bit taller.

I really wanted to add a model from Dunkeldorf Miniatures range to my Undead horde and the best way to do so was to convert one. I converted their Old Tully mini. I swapped his face and arms with those from the old GW zombie kit. I also twisted his legs a bit to get that zombie walk. I call him Willem Deadfoe because the resemblance is great IMO. :D

I did another custom zombie by converting the Reikland Captain from Mordheim warband. I cut of his legs and replaced them with those from the old GW plastic kit. I also swapped his face.

Another simple conversion I did is based on the Mordheim Town Cryer miniature. The only thing I did here was replacing his had with the zombie one.

Finally I added some of the oldhammer zombies from the early 90's. They are a bit smaller but still fit very well with the rest of the unit. I love the Evil Dead vibes on them. :D

Next, I will be adding some zombies from the Forgotten Realms range. Really looking forward to it.

Mortreich's Black Guard

This mighty legion of skeletal warriors clad in dark, full plate armor represents the personal guard of Mortreich von Todtstein. His warrior legion also known as the “Black Host” or "Der Nachtguard" consist of the elite fighters gathered through many centuries, from all around the old world. Some of them where enrolled by being killed and resurrected afterwards, others dug out from their tombs and summoned along the way, and some joined Mortreich by their own free will, while they still lived, granting them upon their deaths the ultimate gift from their supreme commander, that of the un-death and service under his banner for all eternity! Highly efficient, remorseless, cruel as grave and bound to the mighty “Nightfang”, they obey every single word and command from their master.

They march to war caring the magical “Blood Moon” standard, allowing them to move at rapid speed. On it, a dark chalice is being filled with a drop of blood, representing the human blood that is being shed in the name of Mortreich. The “Blood Moon” is yet another symbol of the “New Night Order” and the blood sacrifices that shall be done in order to achieve their terrible goal. This blood symbol also represents the blood that forever “lives” on the infamous Mortreich's blade, the "Nightfang", and his vampiric lust for human blood that fuels his dead heart, making the unhuman black blood flow cold trough his veins for all eternity.

Der Nachtguard is here to destroy the world of the living, and the only thing that is faster than the speed of light is the silence of the cursed night by which they travel! The Night and its creatures are one, and eventually they will absorb everything! Fear them, the Black Host has been unleashed! 

I have finally finished this massive unit of 50 Armored Skeletons! I've been in the hobby for more then 20 years and this is the largest unit I have put together so far. It was starting to be a bit exhausting by the end but totally worth the effort. I really think they are a sight to behold. :) Also, it was quite expensive collecting these 90's OOP miniatures from different sellers on eBay. In my opinion, the 90's are golden years when it comes to Games Workshop miniatures. Since there are originally only five different skeletons I decided to convert a fair amount of them in order to make the unit look more varied. By simply swapping heads with those from the old plastic skeletons kit, adding horns and other decorations to their helmets, or even using Bretonnian and Empire helmets, I made the unit much more interesting. Originally I used Bretonian flag for the banner but later replaced it with one from the Grave Guard sprue because I wasn't quite happy with it. I wanted to make my banner resemble to those old school banners that where photocopied from the book and then cut out and painted. :) All in all, I'm very pleased with this unit and looking forward to moving on with my legions. 

If you are interested in how I made the unique shields for the Black Guard check out this tutorial.