Group Shot 01

From time to time I was taking group shots of my collection and this was the first of those - I took it in February 2014. It was about half a year worth of work - I would really like to have such speed today...

Abelard von Greifen

GW Blood Dragon vampire converted into a Battle Standard Bearer painted in September 2016. You can see the unpainted WIP HERE. The first vampire miniature I painted that also had to have much green around him - which clashes a bit with the idea that vampires should be black/red/white and other undead green. Still, it was better than having that flag red, that would be overkill - and in the end, I'm rather happy with him.

Before being turned, Abelard was a loyal and honorable soldier from the eastern parts of the Empire. After becoming one of Constantin's gets, he kept those qualities, only now he was supporting the von Greifens’ cause. He wasn’t bright enough to be entrusted with governing or leading, but as the bearer of the House Standard, there’s no one better. The giant icon with the family’s coat of arms needs inhuman strength to carry it - and the cries screamed by the souls trapped in the cursed banner require great mental durability to withstand them. Abelard possessed both qualities and Constantin was never disappointed with him.

Abelard von Greifen - WIP

Some WIPs of the Vampire Battle Standard Bearer I have. The base for him was an old GW Blood Dragon miniature, with the sword replaced with a flagpole. The dragon skull on top is from the Terrorgheist set, the shield is plasticard and the flag is greenstuff built around a metal wire. On that numerous faces and hands were glued on to achieve the 'stream of spirits' kind of look.

The shield was missing from the miniature I bought, so I had to replace it. I used some round shield I had in my bitzbox, but then I wanted to have a bit more interesting. To get that I 'painted' a relief image of a von Greifen griffin skeleton - and it's done with many layers of Liquid Greenstuff. After that, I covered it with two layers of varnish to make a bit more durable.

Kiril the Woodsman

GW Krell, the Lord of Undeath painted in January 2014, finecast. The first wight character I painted - and his painting scheme was just a logical extension of the way I did my Grave Guard. This time the yellow freehands got a little more illustrative - and that will also prove to be the staple of my wights. His axe was also a good excuse to paint some marble.

During his life, Kiril was a sturdy lumberjack in the thick forests of Varsavia. He felled innumerable trees and many chaos marauders that wandered near his house. This lasted for many years until a big war between Varsavians and Chaos forces rumbled through his forest. When the ancient soldiers led by the summoned Avatar of the Death God found themselves being pushed back, Kiril himself was able to pulverize a big enemy camp when he finally stumbled upon it. After that, he was invited into the army and barbarians quickly learned to fear the sight of a burly man with a two-handed axe, especially after he took a liking to take the enemy armor for himself. Dressed as a chaos warrior, he became a hero, a living legend amongst the Varsavians - a Bogatyr, as they called such people. While he wasn't that much of a tactician, he made up for that with his death toll. After his death, he was laid in a ceremonial tomb along with the magic armor made from northern scraps and a special cursed axe made from green marble - a gift from the prophet. Being a revered hero, the rituals laid on his dead body were much more potent and necromancers weren't able to suppress his will - Kiril retained all of his old memories. Still, he was willing to fight alongside his wight comrades in defense of Varsavia - doing what he does best as always.

Side Project - Christmas Present

And now a little side project - minis I sculpted for my girlfriend back in December 2013. I post it here as a curiosity mainly because these were the first minis I sculpted from scratch ever - well, save for the weapons. It was also the first time I painted something more contemporary than the usual fantasy stuff. Here they are before painting:

And after painting:

Livio Heim

GW Corpse Cart painted in November 2013. It got small conversions - there's a spear for the driver to use and branches on the back, mostly to have more surfaces for OSL (object source lighting - simulating light with paint on a model) to work on. This was also my first take on OSL ever and I think it came out quite well.

More than one grisly myth in the Varsavian countryside tells about a ghastly cart being drawn by corpses - and Livio Heim is the source of most of them. Nobody really knows his story, but now he's a necromancer that roams the land in search of corpses - all to add to his collection. After all the years his grip on sanity is getting looser, but he's still eager to ensure everyone that his greatest creation will shock everyone sooner than anyone expects. It's quite easy to convince him to tag along and support the undead bands in exchange for having a full battlefield of bodies to search later.

Restless Spirits

GW Army of the Dead from the Lord of the Rings range painted in October 2013 - here I am using them as Spirit Hosts. Before they released the new ones, those were a very popular alternative to those bedsheet ghosts from earlier times. They served me well during some battles.

All around the world one can find restless spirits that were denied the pass into the afterlife for one reason or another. They roam abandoned places, just beyond the notice of average mortals. For a necromancer, it isn't difficult to call upon them and instill them with a new purpose. Von Greifens learned themselves to summon spirits of the kislevite warriors of old - nameless, forgotten beings felled during one of the countless battles here. They still brandish their old weapons and armor, believing to be fighting for their lords once again. Still, their weapons are no more dangerous than their own hands - for it's the cold promise of the grave that they carry with them that does the killing and not the steel or valor they may still believe to possess.