Blood Bowl Elves

A bit of a blast from the past today, from 2005. I don't have anything new painted, so here is more of my progression through Blood Bowl teams. These were my fourth team, Pro Elves from Shadowforge. Pro Elves, or just Elves, are neither High nor Dark nor Wood, although these girls have stood in for a High Elf team as required. Their team name is I Seldi Serci Suluo. I was nerding it up big time, and this is (I think) Quenya for The Maidens of Blood Bowl. Really.

Blood Bowl Elves from Shadowforge

I went for a white and silver scheme, because many other teams at the time were very dark with black undercoats, and my girls would stand out get noticed. I learned a lot about painting white from this team- note the blue and grey shadows. I think it was the first time I used a white undercoat. I'm pretty sure I used enamels! They're showing their age with a bit of chipping, and my painting style has changed/ improved.

While I was doing the Blitzers I was thinking about how their eye sockets looked like gas masks. I was thinking of filling them with a clear resin or varnish, but somehow got the idea of using clear sticky tape, and was able to use it on all the other elves as well. I can really see the elves having high-tech helmets to protect their beautiful faces. It has held up over all the years!

Elf blitzers

Elf throwers

There are only two catcher poses, so I used paperclips to add variety to this important positional with prancing, leaping poses.

Elf catchers

Line elves

I made this conversion from a Reaper figure, to represent Star Player Princess Moranion. I'm really happy with how she came out. Milliput!

Princess Moranion

...and her hair

Reaper 02808 Taryn, Spearmaiden

The support staff have flowers from Milliput. If I ever get around to it, I’ll make some more flowers to add to the players’ bases so you can swiftly see extra skills (e.g. ‘All the red flowers are Block’ etc.). The last cheerleader has a very weak ribbon holding her up and she suffers from chronic droop.

Elf coaches

Elf apothecary

Elf cheerleaders

I must mention that this team won ‘Best Painted’ at the inaugural Eucalyptus Bowl, with a monstrous trophy. Still stoked.

I refined my playing style using these girls. They’re agile and fragile, so you have to make a fast offense and a stalling defence with depth, ready to switch to the offense when your opponent makes an error. Getting ‘Dump off’ on a catcher is great fun. They remain my all-time favourite team so far, being an economical, fast and agile team. I wonder if I will prefer Slann when I get around to them?

BattleLore- Uthuq Y'llan- Warband of Scorn

These are the Warband of Scorn, more figures to expand my BattleLore Uthuq Y'llan force. The sculpting has improved noticeably. I've gone for a bright, cartoony style to complement the game.

Blood Harvesters

Berserkers

Blood Sisters

Grotesques

Doombringer

Warband of Scorn

Uthuq Y'llan

I painted these for the Analogue Challenge in March, and just realised I hadn't put them on this blog yet. I've still got some more good guys and undead to paint up. I do have concerns that FFG's upcoming RuneWars game will detract from BattleLore, and it may be given the boot :(

Halflings get thumped at Blood Bowl

I took place in a mini-BB league recently, six progression games in six weeks. I could only make four games, and thought (foolishly) it would be good to take my halflings for a run. Ouch.

My starting roster was two Treemen, ten Halflings, one reroll. My strategy was to induce Deeproot and a Master Chef each game, which I was able to do.

The Wild Flings

Match 1. The Mariners (Human). 3-1 loss. I always enjoy playing my old opponent, Vimes. I got a hilarious TD at the end of the first half where the ball bounced from player to player before I caught it next to the end zone. After that, the league went downhill! I suffered 5 casualties and handed out 3.

Mariners vs Wild Fling

Match 2. The Queens of Lorien (Wood Elves). 4-2 loss. Despite their relatively weak armour, I lost this game to attrition against the Woodies, suffering 6 casualties.

Halflings try to stop the agile Wood Elf play

Match 3. The Zharr-Naggrund Bankers Union (Chaos Dwarves). 2-1 loss. Halflings struggle against Chaos Dwarves- they're faster, tougher, hurtier, and ignore your Dodge skill... I suffered 6-0 casualties, including two deaths, so I think I did OK to only lose by one TD!

Brave Halflings try to stem the Chaos Dwarf onslaught

Match 4. Ursurer's Guild- (Chaos Dwarves). 4-1 loss. What's worse than a Chaos Dwarf team? Two Chaos Dwarf teams! This match was a slaughter. I was so close to conceding, and I don't think I've ever done that before. I suffered 9 casualties... thankfully, the league ended!

Desperate Halflings run the gauntlet

Genestealer Cult

I've finished my Deathwatch: Overkill Genestealer Cult!

The Magus

After the patriarch, the magus is the charismatic psychic leader of the cult. He is accompanied by familars, which are manifestations of psychic energy into baby genestealer form. I prefer to think of them as baby 'stealers.

Genestealer Cult Magus

Genestealer familiars

Magus and familiars

The Primus

Complementing the magus, the primus is the martial leader of the cult. He plans and leads the insurrection and the spread to other system worlds. I think he is a good addition to the existing genestealer mythology.

Genestealer Cult Primus

Purestrain genestealers

Purestrain genestealers

Genestealer Cult

So that's the entire cult completed! I'm really happy with how they came out. More pictures of the patriarch here, and hybrids here and here.

Genestealer Cult

Broodcoven

The genestealer generational cycle

I like how the hybrids get less bulky with each generation. The Purestrain is a seriously big boy in comparison to a regular human.

Notes on the sculpts

Darren Latham's sculpts are amazing- they pay superb homage to the Jes Goodwin/ Bob Olley originals in so many ways- the armour, the poses, the faces and tubes, the weapons.

via The Stuff of Legends 

via The Stuff of Legends 

Look at the poses of the genestealers compared to the original 1989 Space Hulk plastics- it can't be a coincidence. I love the return of the iconic segmented body, it is very creepy.

Old and new genestealers

And check out the Dave Gallagher art from Space Hulk Campaigns. They've really nailed the nostalgia aspect.

Look at the price...

These models are not cheap, but they had so much nostalgia value I have no regrets about getting them. I'm contemplating getting a few more, and I don't even play 40K...

Imperial Assault- the Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor is a characterful bad guy from Star Wars: Rebels, who has shown up in Imperial Assault. He's a former Jedi from Utapau, turned Jedi-hunter.

Well sculpted details made this figure a pleasure to paint. The colour scheme is simple but striking. The lightsaber doesn't come out as well in these photos as it does in person, but I feel that the reflected glow shows up nicely on this dark armour.

I have enjoyed Rebels, and hope that the characters from there make it to my tabletop at some stage.

Mansions of Madness monsters

There are a variety of new monsters in Mansions of Madness 2nd edition. The bases they come with are, like the first edition, truly awful. I rebased and painted the figures and added them to my eldritch collection!

The Hunting Horrors were stuck to Citadel flight stands I had had lying about for years.

The rioters come three to a base, but I've left them individually based for use in other games if necessary.

The cultists are the first edition ones, so I didn't re-do them. The High Priest of Dagon is a little too fluorescent, and I may do some more work on him.

The deep one hybrids really came to life with a blue-green lower lip, and some dodgy eyes. Suitably batrachian!

The child of Dagon looks more like a zombie.

The deep ones were easy to paint with a mix of green and blue washes. I wasn't a fan of these initially, but now I think they're my favourite.

The ghosts were easy to paint, with a green wash over white.

The star spawns are suitably large whilst somewhat static in pose, but look fine after a green/ brown paint job.

Here's the second edition content, and the combined first and second edition.

Ia! Ia!

Mansions of Madness investigators

I was pleasantly surprised when FFG announced a new edition of Mansions of Madness at the end of July. I played the first edition a few times, and pictures can be found here and here.  

 

 

 

The new edition is an undeniable improvement and comes with eight investigators.

 

Wendy Adams, urchin

   

Agatha Crane, paranormal investigator

 

   

Carson Sinclair, butler

   

Preston Fairmont, millionaire

   

Minh Thi Phan, secretary

   

 

Father Mateo, priest

   

 

Rita Young, athlete

 

 

William Yorick, gravedigger 

 

The new edition can be used with first edition map pieces and investigators. Here is my entire collection of investigators!

 

Mansions of Madness investigators

 

Next time: the monsters!