AdamH’s Skaven month four - The horde grows

Another chonky one this month from me, rank and file month three; the other big unit in this year’s challenge; Clan Rats!

If you have seen either of my previous Skaven Challenge entries then you will have seen me paint these toxic yellow mainstays before. Not much has changed here other than the addition of an extra Rat Ogre (that forms a unit filler), and some extra command models:

As mentioned above I painted an addition Rat Ogre, I now have one of these old sculpts in each of my Clan Rat units. I don’t think they are quite as nice models as the later 90’s Rat Ogre Sculpts and a bit too small for their profile. However I do like them so I think they fit in perfectly as a big mutated Clan Rat!

I also wanted the ability to run multiple small units of Clan Rats so painted an additional command, this means I can now run four units of 25, perfect for that weapon team spam!

Month three stats:

Models painted: 30

Total points: 198

Secret Japanese words hidden in the unit: one

May is a reduced month for me, I have a trip that cuts a week out of my painting time so I am going to focus on getting as many of my Leader models done as possible. I have been working on a little bonus model in the back ground recently though, hopefully I can finish it and get that painted next month too!

AdamH’s OWAC VII Intro Post – The rats are back in town!

Why do I hate myself... a question I have been asking for years without an answer. 

Here we are again, me plus over 100 rats. You might be thinking that surely I must have run out of Skaven models by now? Ha, I laugh, I could probably do the challenge another two times with what I have left in my box of shame.

But yea, once more around Skavenblight we go:

Just like my previous Skaven entry I am looking at filling out my existing force with missing units as well as bolstering the core:

Mainly this means some additional Clan Skyre units in the form of a unit of Globadiers and while not technically from 4th/5th edition a couple of Warplightning Cannons:

As well as a few Jezzails:

And who better to lead this part of the army but a selection of Warlock Engineers:

I am also filling out a few older units with additional options, mainly this means random command models:

and some more Plague Monks:

For this year’s challenge I am targeting the following list:

Every time I do Skaven for the challenge I increase the number that I plan to paint, and somehow I manage to get them done. This time is no different, this is the most models I will have attempted in an OWAC yet (as long as we don't account the many small Giant Rats from last time). But if I can get them done I think my army will be touching 5k points when fully equipped! (On a side note if anyone in the UK fancies a game hit me up!)

Best of luck to the rest of the competitors as always, and especially to my fellow #TeamSkaven!

Graeme's Skaven - July - Wrap-up

Graeme's Skaven  (266.5 points)

Wow, six months have flown past!

It's been a proper challenge this year. It started with indecision about which army to go for, and included some dips in motivation, severely limited hobby time due to work, and the usual amount of procrastination. Starting to paint with magnifying lenses really helped my eyes, but slowed down my painting when I realised how much detail I had been missing...

While I'm glad to have finished, I really scraped through on the bare minimum of models, and let's not even start on points value...

My plans were much grander, and I just don't feel this year's effort is up to the standard I was aiming for, or really completed - there are loads of details I want to redo, and I still didn't get round to painting up their shields, due to a silly amount of work in the last month.

Still, it's another dent in the pile of shame. I'm a step closer to fielding a proper Skaven army. Progress is progress!

Anyway, here's the end result:

So the final tally is 42 figures, broken down into:

1 Warpweaver level 10 Wizard, armed with a spear - 82 points
15 Clanrats, armed with a hand weapon, spear and (still not done) shield - 97.5 points
15 Skavenslaves, armed with a hand weapon and spear - 45 points
5 Clanrats, armed with a hand weapon and light armour and (still not done) shield - 30 points

6 Giant Rats, armed with malice and evil intentions - 12 points

Which is a whopping 266.5 points in total! I'm lucky this was a special edition of OWAC, or I would have been resting gently and deeply in the field of bones!

Thoughts of OWAC VII are already floating around in my head. I've got to try to come up with a realistic and less grand plan if I'm going to take part next year. I came up with a list of options for armies and the popular vote in the OWAC group pointed to extemely Oldhammer-esque candidates of either Slann or Norse. Now I'm not ruling out another last-minute, ill-advised switch to Skaven again, but those are looking like the strongest contenders so far. Some test models are in the pipeline!

I've also got plans for the next 'special edition' OWAC, which involves a Rogue Trader theme. So the summer months should be busy, prepping as many figures as I can.

Massive congratulations to the challengers who managed to finish the challenge. I'm incredibly impressed with the number of challengers who go above and beyond, with not only well-painted armies, but also huge quantities of figures (and scenery)! I'm envious, but also inspired! Keep it up!

Graeme's Skaven - May - Rank and File #4 (75 points)

Graeme's Skaven - May - Rank and File #4 (75 points)

Well, May was the first month where I felt confident that I'd finish my monthly contribution. Unfortunately, things were busy at work in the last week and I didn't really have time to get the finishing touches done, yet again. So it's a pretty basic look for some of this motley crew, but it keeps me in the race... with the finishing line in sight!

May's contribution of 10 Clanrats:

Luckily, rounding things off with my leader month should give me enough time to catch up on all those shields, details and finishing touches I've missed over the last few month, so I'm aiming to make sure the final results will significantly better.

10 Clanrats, armed with a hand weapon, spear and (still to be painted) shield - 75 points

Breaking my monthly total record yet again with a whopping 75 points!

I've made a start on a couple of the leader models already, and have a couple of ideas for bonus models, so am looking forward to putting together the final lineup.

Graeme's Skaven - April - Rank and File #3

Graeme's Skaven - April - Rank and File #3 (52.5 points)

This month should have been a walk in the park - I'd almost finished painting my March contribution, but just couldn't get things over the finish line. I expected it would take a few nights of adding the finishing touches and then I could get the April post done early and make a start on some of the May contribution, or pick up some leaders or more exotic troops.

The reality was slightly different.

The end result for April:

5 Clanrats

5 Skavenslaves

Naturally I had forgotten about a short break in the beginning of the month - I went with my wife and a group of friends to Islay (my fourth pilgrimage to the island) for some whisky-tasting and sightseeing. The preparations and trip effectively took up the first 10 days of the month. Well worthwhile! I tasted some great whisky and brought back a nice memento or two.

Just a little souvenir...

After returning I half-heartedly picked up my paintbrush and faffed for a week. I think I painted, re-painted, and then refined the same pieces of tunics and armour on three figures for about a week. I got stuck in a weird rut, where I just didn't like what I painted.

Then one of our two cats, which we've had from kittens, suddenly developed a blood-clot. My wife adopted them when a friend found them abandoned in some woods in Germany, about nine years ago. Within two hours of me spotting something was wrong, I found myself sitting at the vet's, watching her being put down. This was on my wife's birthday. The day before my birthday. This resulted in cancelled celebrations and a week or so of little motivation to do much, let alone paint.

Baloo

I finally forced myself to sit down and get some painting done in the last few days of the month, in a desperate attempt to avoid the field of bones.

Yet again, it's not my best work, and I don't feel the Slaves are really done, but they'll do. I'm pretty happy with how some of fabric and details, especially on the Clanrats, turned out. I was finally enjoying painting them in the last couple of days and it was a welcome distraction from the suddenly much quieter apartment.

So, the final tally for April:

5 Skavenslaves, armed with a hand weapon, spear and (soon to be painted) shield - 17.5 points

5 Clanrats, armed with a hand weapon, spear and (soon to be painted) shield - 37.5 points

Resulting in my highest monthly total yet: 55 points! That's an army total soaring into the dizzying heights of three-figures!!!

Anyway, the end is in sight! Lots of unpainted Skaven still await me, as well as loads of little details to finish off, as well as shields and bases still to complete, so that should keep me busy enough. I really hope I find my zone again in May and I can put in a strong finish.

Graeme's Skaven - January - Rank and File #1

Graeme's Skaven - January - Rank and File #1 (45 points)

I expected getting back into the OWAC saddle was going to be a challenge, and I wasn't disappointed.

Breaking last year's record of 2 painted miniatures wasn't going to be difficult, but getting the minimum 10 done before the end of the month came down to the wire, again.

Scraping in by the skin of my rodent teeth, I present my motley crew for January:

January's mob

I've mixed feelings about these. I had to rush in the end to get them done in time, so the bases still need flocking, the Clanrats are missing their shields, and there are a few things that I'm going to tidy up later. So, on the scale of things, not my best effort.

On the other hand, I had to start facing the realities of getting older by using a magnifier while painting, to take some of the strain off my eyes. It's definitely helped there, but also let me see all the flaws and sloppy errors I make while painting, in glorious detail. I think I'm painting more neatly now, and can pay more attention to details (because I can finally see them!), but this has the downside of costing more time. I'll have to adapt a little, to up the tempo...

The bug-eyed monster

Anyway, I'm happy with what I did paint, and I suspect I'll be satisfied once I finish off those niggling details that are missing. I've been getting into the swing of things the last week, so I'm planning on painting smaller batches, to help speed things up.

Some more detailed photos of the meagre January offering:

Skavenslaves with spears - front

Skavenslaves with spears - rear

Clanrats with swords - front

Clanrats with swords - rear

One of the things I forgot to prep, due to my last-minute switch of army, was some suitable shields. And the weather over in The Netherlands hasn't been conducive to undercoating anything - the temperature hasn't gotten up to 10°C in more than 2 months. Fingers crossed things get warmer soon.

Luckily, this edition of OWAC doesn't have a minimum points requirement per month, otherwise I'd be in a spot of trouble...

5 Skavenslaves, armed with a hand weapon and spear - 15 points

5 Clanrats, armed with a hand weapon and light armour (with shields still to be done) - 30 points

So, a whopping 45 points of Skaven rank-and-file to add to my army!

On to February! More of the same, I suspect. Although I might have to do a small batch of Giant Rats to meet the figure count in the shortest month...

Graeme's OWAC VI Introduction post

OWAC VI: Embracing Chaos...

OWAC V was a complete washout for me. I had grand plans of a glorious Elven force, which never got off the ground. Getting married at the end of January soaked up more time than I expected and I fell at the first hurdle. The trip directly to the field of bones was unexpected and disappointing...
This seriously dented my painting mojo and I lost my motivation. Coupling this with a new job in the middle of the year, I ended up painting a grand total of two minis in 2022.

OWAC has been the main driving force in getting me to the painting desk over the last few years, so I decided that I would re-focus my energies on the prepping for OWAC VI. I was determined to avoid my previous mistakes and go into this challenge as well-prepared as I could. So, I spent months cleaning, de-flashing, basing, and base-coating an impressive amount of Wood Elves. I focussed on mostly compulsory troops, with some special troop types, big monsters, and characters to add some flair.

Some of the compulsory archers

Some additional troops

Great, right?

But doubts and uncertainty had crept in...

I wasn't really feeling the inspiration for painting these graceful fighters.

Being spoiled for choice on what I could paint wasn't helping the decision either.

However, the pile of unpainted Skaven from my first OWAC started calling to me, eager to be unleashed on the battlefield to fight for the Horned Rat...

One of the two minis I managed to paint in 2022 was a Rat Ogre for Oldmanpaints #OctOgre challenge. I really enjoyed the process and end result... an albino Rat Ogre: (https://oldmanpaints.wordpress.com/2022/09/30/octogre-painting-competition/)

Painted mini #1 for 2022

This special OWAC VI edition meant that I wouldn't have to submit a minimum number of points of miniatures each month, just a minimum of 10 models... perfect for troops with a low points cost... Skaven, for example...

Then I saw ZeroTwentythree's introduction post (http://oldworldarmychallenge.blogspot.com/2022/12/zerotwentyhthrees-owac6-introduction.html) and the call of Chaos grew too strong to resist!

My originals plans found their way into the bin...

I'm back #teamskaven!!!

The new plan is simple - paint as many Skaven Clanrats and Slaves as I can. I want to work through as many of these compulsory troops as possible, with the aim of being able to field a legal 3rd edition army, based on Warhammer Armies, by the end of OWAC VI. For this, I want to finish 50 Clanrats and 20 Skavenslaves. If I get bored of painting these, or my sanity falters, I've got plenty of other models which I can turn to for some variation.

Some of the leftovers from OWAC III:

And some of the remaining pile, that still need some prepping:

Yes, you may have spotted the flaw in the plan - I've switched from a well-prepped force, to a furry horde at the last minute... I can't promise this is going to work, but I aim to embrace the Chaos and enjoy trying!

And finally, as an offering to our glorious Overlord: a Bob Olley Chaos Harpy!

These can be Chaotic hosts for a Skaven army and I've never painted one before. I decided to go for a rather more colourful interpretation than usually seen - a colour scheme which hopefully pleases the mighty Overlord.

Painted mini #2 for 2022

Good luck to the rest of the challengers in this special edition of OWAC!

There are some great-looking projects again, with a lot of variety. It's going to be a blast seeing them take shape!

AdamH’s OWAC V Intro Post – It’s time to get furry!

Is that deja vu I hear you say? No? Well I’m going to tell you anyway. Yes this is my second time doing Skaven for an OWAC. Anyone who remembers my first Skaven challenge army will remember that it was rather plain, mostly Clanrats, Slaves and Stormvermin. It made for a good core to my army but it is time I started looking into the various clans, so this time around I will be focusing mostly on…

Clan Moulder!

Obviously, I still need to add more core units to the force because as it grows in points I need more fodder (Slaves) and more weapon team production (Clan Rats), plus I want to bump the number of Stormvermin available to me just in case I want to put the bell in with them.

Oh, yea I’m also adding a Screaming Bell :)

But the main addition here is a large unit of Giant Rats, with the original 3^rd edition chaos hounds mixed in for fun and a decent sized unit of Rat Ogres. Honestly, I would have liked to include a few more but they are shockingly hard to pick up for a reasonable price nowadays.

For this year’s challenge I am targeting the following list:

UNIT	EXTRAS	#	TOTAL
CHARACTERS
Warlock Champion (118)		1	118
Battle Standard (77)		1	77
Grey Seer (340)	Screaming Bell (200)	1	540
REGIMENTS
Slaves (2.5)		25	62.5
Stormvermin (9.5)	Halberds (2) Shields (1)	13	123.5
Clanrats (6)	Standard (6) Musician (6)	42	264
Rat Ogres (40)		8	320
Giant Rats (2.5)		60	150
Packmaster (10)		18	180
TOTAL			1835

Here are a few other pictures of the solid mass of metal that is currently stressing the weight limit of my shelf:

Next we have this year’s overlord offering. For those of you not part of the challenge there is normally a “squad challenge” during the down time between OWACs where challengers paint a small unit of something just for fun. This year I decided to get back into the swing of things by painting up some more ratties, specifically Censor Bearers:

At the same time I decided to paint an extra one for our gracious overlord, hopefully they please and serve him well:

Finally, those of you that followed my original Skaven entry back in OWAC III may remember me saying that I wasn’t able to finish the bases due to not being able to varnish them at the time. Well I decided to go back and varnish and finish the bases so I want to take this opportunity to show you an example of one of the stars of my previous challenge with the updated base, which will also give you a taste of what’s to come this year from me:

So there we go, many ratties coming from me this coming year. Numbers wise this is going to be my biggest challenge so far, however as so many of them are simple sculpts I am hopeful of my chances.

Thanks for stopping by and please make sure you check out the rest of the challengers this year, I’m sure we are going to have another belter!