Mournful Knight standard bearer and progress on the unit

Standard bearer for my Mournful Knights (Blood Knights) is done! I'm keeping the same color scheme throughout the unit to make them look a bit uniformed. Lots of black and red and dark metallics. Having completed the third model, out of five, I've noticed there is a problem which is repeating on every model. There is a huge gap between the rider and the horse when I want to glue them together. They just don't fit. On all three models I had to make a ball of Green Stuff to fill the hole and glue them properly. I also pinned the banner to make sure it wont fall off.

I also addressed the issue of fitting the basses together. I had to reposition one of the knights so that I am able to fit them all together. I barely managed to find space for all three. Hopefully I'll manage to somehow squeeze in the remaining two as well.

Mournful Knight and Armored Skeletons Command Group

Recently I have finished my second Mournful Knight from Gamezone Miniatures. I'm happy how it turned out. However, I realized I can not fit the bases of the two models together, which is quite frustrating because I want to be able to put all the models in one unit. I guess if you are playing Age Of Sigmar this wouldn't present an issue, but for Warhammer Fantasy Battles it is crucial that you are able to do so. I will try to reposition the models so that the bases can be placed side by side, but I'm not sure if that would be even possible since the models are pretty wide.

Also, I have painted the command group for my Armored Skeletons. I'm not completely sold on the (Bretonnian) banner though. I might replace it with one from the Grave Guard box and make more traditional design to fit better with these classic models.

Al-elib Iblis

From the south, all the way from the lands of Araby came this deteriorating mad man, riding an obscure corpse cart filled with rotting bodies. On one stormy night he arrived to Sylvanian forest drawn by the very potent dark energies he felt. It is not known whether he was summoned by some powerful individual, Necrarach or Blood Dragon, who are lately gathering the troops within the Sylvanian borders, or for some other obscure, personal interest. The word about the pale rider with piercing insane eyes started to spread among townsfolk all throughout the Empire. It is said that the corpses risen back to life and fueled with arcane necro magic are pulling the damned thing relentlessly, day and night, without ever needing to stop for food or sleep. Cloaked in the green mist he is rarely to be seen and most often his arrival is foreshadowed only by unbearable putrid stench and cackling sadistic laughter. However, once he reveals himself, there better be no living person around! Stories have been told about men being paralyzed by his abysmal gaze and whipped to death, only to end up on his ever-growing pile of corpses. The sound of the sinister bell mounted on the top of his chariot freezes the blood in the veins of the living. When the chariot stops, Al-elib is seen knocking the bell four times, most often in vicinity of the graveyards and sites of the recently ended battles. Upon the fourth knock, the souls of the departed are seen leaving the bodies and being sucked by the demonic bell. It seems he is using the bell to collect the souls of the recently deceased and then channel this energy to the corpses pulling the cart and attacking the unsuspected pass byers. On top of all this, it is also believed he is bringer of disease, for wherever he arrives people start to suffer from various infections and deadly illnesses and so the misery he brings stays with people even after his departure. This mad man is whipping the animated corpses for no other reason than for pure fun. When bodies become wrecked beyond recognition, he likes to change the crew. So by all means, if you ever encounter this wicked necromancer and his cursed entourage, run as fast as you can!

I think this is a really cool looking model from Games Workshop and for the most part I enjoyed working on it. However, once I finished painting the cart, placing the corpses inside was a real nightmare! I barely managed to squeeze them in, using force. In the process the paint got pealed off on some of the hanging limbs. I would definitely recommend gluing the corpse pile on the wooden bottom of the cart prior gluing the poles that are sticking out. If you are interested in the whole process of painting this model and checking out all the posts concerning Al-elib, follow this link: corpse cart

Adding non GW miniatures to my Vampire Counts army

Last two weeks I've been painting non GW miniatures for a change. I've used three different companies for the first time. I'm pretty happy with the quality of their stuff and I'm going to use them again.

I've had my eye on Scibor Miniatures Necromancer for quite some time and finally decided to get it and paint it. He will be designated to the Todtstein Shock Troops. Model is cast in resin, great quality, no air bubbles, minor flesh to be cleaned. I had to place him on 50mm base, so he is taking four spaces in the unit, which is kind a logical since there are three zombies emerging from the ground around him. I had to put in extra effort on the base, to make the zombies look as though they are raising from the ground.

I'm pleased with the end result. Only thing I'm not 100% sure about is the green glow. Think maybe it would look better if I made it a bit more subtle.

Another company I've been wanting to try out for years is the Reaper Miniatures. I've always been a huge fan of their Bone Horror model, so I ordered it together with some Arachno Assassins. These are metal miniatures, although the company has many ranges, some in plastic, some in metal. I decided to paint one of the Assassins first. The design is really simple but effective! Since the model is 90% bone, you can paint it really fast.

Far back in the past, while browsing the internet, I stumbled upon Mournful Knights by Gamezone Miniatures. My mind was blown! They looked so menacing, vicious and packed with action. The whole unit looked as if in the glorious charge. I thought these models are really ahead of it's time. And still, even today I consider them to be one of the best cavalry models out there. That being said, there is some work required prior painting. The miniatures are metal and there are some gaps that needed to be filled with modeling putty. Another thing thing I noticed while painting my first knight is that sometimes it is hard to differentiate what is what on the model. All in all I really like the final result and can't wait to add more knights to the unit!

Hiram's Lost Legion

Back in the old days it wasn't easy to gather large units of extremely skillful, experienced and disciplined warriors, unconditionally loyal to its leader and faithful to the cause. One of those leaders who succeeded to gain upmost respect and loyalty from his fellow warriors was Hiram Von Todtstein, a mighty king who commanded an elite unit of warriors known as the 1st. Hiram's Volunteer Division or Hiram’s Legion. Members of this Legion were ready to shed their blood for bellowed king, who was at the same time their comrade in battle. Division was known for its stubbornness and relentlessness and was one of the most renowned throughout the Old World. Hiram’s Division was usually deployed were toughest fighting was going on in order to "extinguish the flames" in shortest time possible. 

On one cold morning, the Legion was sent to the Cursed Marshes with task to annihilate the Skaven horde which had strongholds and secret hideouts in this area from which they continuously raided the nearby city of Marienburg, capital of Wastelands, and other surrounding human settlements. Why was the Legion sent on this mission alone, and in secrecy, remains a mystery. What we do know is that upon entering the Cursed Marshes, Legion was never to be seen again. Seems that their foe, the Skaven horde, also fled the area, never to infest it again. Tales were told of daemonic swamp dwellers, ancient demons that were somehow part of the marsh itself, of strange mists and abominations staring from the swampy abyss. However destiny of the 1st. Division together with the Skaven horde became a thing of the past and legend, up until the recent days. 

Hiram, returning to his new (un)life knew very well where to head first, for he never forgot his faithful and fearful legion. And thus, risen from the eerie swamp, the legion marches once again, only this time under a darker banner… 

I really had a blast making this unit. Currently it is just 20 man strong but I definitely plan to add more ranks to it. Hopefully I'll reach 50 with time. I wanted these skeletons to look like they were freshly risen from the ground, with all the dirt, lichen, moss, grass and other vegetation growing on them. Accordingly, I made their weapons and armour really ragged and rusty. The whole process was a bit time-consuming because after painting I had to add the pigments for rust and dirt and also various flock, static grass, leaves, etc, but I think it was worth it. The miniatures are Games Workshop Deathrattle Skeleton Warriors.

And here are some photos of the individual skeleton warriors: