Qrab's Empire: Endgame (105 points)

Back in December, as I finished preparing the models and planned for the months ahead, I realized the stars would have to come into perfect alignment if I had any hope of completing this year's Old World Army Challenge. However, looking back, much like the purple-skinned, scrotum-chinned villain of the latest two Avenger's movies, this post was ...

INEVITABLE

I finished January and February with a fair degree of confidence, despite having to travel out of town for nearly half of each month. Those travel days were during the week, so I was able to get the bulk of my painting done on the weekends (which I just barely managed to do). Unfortunately, my travel obligations continued through March and April and in a couple of cases extended into the weekend, with predictable results. The diminished weekend painting time coupled with an increase in the number of models to be painted each month and (lately) a cold that has dragged on for two weeks, put the target of 200 points a month out of reach.

In March I did manage to paint one unit, the Reiks Kanone Batterein (60 points) as well as one model from the Helblitzen (9 points). Rather than sacrifice those points in a Mulligan blog post, Iannick suggested I bank those points and use them in April. Looking at what I had left, I figured if I could paint the command group (hero, standard bearer, musician) and at least a full rank of the Helblitzen, then I'd be able to scrape by with 175 points; any additional rank & file I could finish would be a bonus. This would put me over the 500 point mark, but still under a lot of pressure to pump out 500 more points in the remaining months.

However, in the end I only managed to paint another four Helblitzen (36 points) and lay down the base coats for the command group. But enough babbling, I've got some pictures to offer up as I bow out of the Challenge.

First is the Reiks Kannone Batterein:

I've christened it: The Mulligan.

Next is the single trooper from the front rank of the Helblitzen:

Followed by the second rank of the Helblitzen:

Creative positioning needed for the plug & play halberdiers.

Finally, a photo showing the lamentable progress made on the Helblitzen command:

Base coats don't count.

So, my total output for March and April combined: a pitiful 105 points. This still puts me over the 500 point mark (just barely).

Some final thoughts:

1) Going into the second Old World Army Challenge, I knew I had set a high bar when I decided on an Empire force because of the high model count and the amount of detail on each model. I'd probably be in a better position to finish the Challenge if I followed the easy path and continued expanding my Chaos army; or even began an Undead army. But I really wanted to paint a good army to counter last year's evil army. That way I'd have two ostensibly balanced forces if I ever found somebody interested in trying out some 3rd edition WFB.

2) Given my love for the old Empire range, I didn't want to take any shortcuts while painting them. As it is, I'm not terribly happy with the Kannone crewmen, and will probably go back to add some embellishments to their clothes. Same for the shield-backs of the Reiksgard - they are rather plain right now and I'd like to add some faux wood grain. The front-rank Helblitzen is wearing striped hose and my intent was to continue that level of detail on the rest of the models in the unit, but with the Challenge's deadlines, that really isn't possible for large units of models. So even though I'm disappointed I didn't finish the Challenge, I'm happy I didn't take shortcuts just to finish the units only to find myself unhappy with the results at the end.

3) Paralysis through analysis is a thing I struggle with when painting. I probably would/could have made more progress, but I spent more time than I'd like to admit looking at the models & thinking about how I wanted to paint the various details. This would have only gotten worse as I began working on the unit of Ersatzsolder, because I really want to make each one look unique.

4) Even though I'm officially out of the challenge, once I'm over this cold I'm going to resume painting these models because I'm determined to finish this army before working on something new. I'll post photos to the appropriate Oldhammer f-book groups, but will respect the rules of the Challenge & not make anymore blog posts.

This post is already longer than expected, but I figured I close out with a trip down memory lane by doing a photo dump of the other units I finished:

Till next the Old World Army Challenge!

Overlord Note : Thank you for leaving this last post Richard. tTe high quality of your work will be solely missed! Best of luck and hopefully we'll see you next year! Undead, maybe?

Qrab's Empire: Irregulars (175 points)

Hot on the heels of last month's elite unit of Reiksgard, for February I went to the opposite end of the social spectrum and painted a unit of Fleglers and a unit of Bergjaeger. Combined, the two units total 175 points. (Yes, this is 25 points fewer than the target, but my contribution for last month was 28 points over, so hopefully the Challenge Overlord will let it fly).  Note from the Overlord : We are magnanimous so we will do just that.

In a short month and with multiple weeks of work travel, there were times when I wasn't sure I'd get everything finished. Next month isn't looking much better, so I expect I'll have to use my mulligan. I've got some models set aside to work on, but I can't shake the feeling I won't get close to the monthly points target.

First up for February is a unit of 8 Fleglers with a standard & musician (110 points). While I have a bunch of the Marauder Flagellants, I find them just a little too big, so I've got other plans for them. Instead, Perry sculpts from 6th edition comprise the bulk of the unit, which is rounded out by one model from the F2 Fighters range and one that I'm pretty sure is from the Cleric range (couldn't find it on Stuff of Legends).

Here's a photo of the entire unit, followed by separate photos of the first & second rank.

Religious fanatics common in the Empire.

The front rank. 

The rear rank.

As much as I like the look of the Perry's Flagellants, they were somewhat difficult to paint. This is due to the lower legs/feet and hands being fairly crudely sculpted, which made it challenging to work around.

The other unit I painted this month consists of 5 Bergjaeger (75 points), who serve as Scouts in the Imperial army.

The Bergjaeger of Nuln.

With the exception of the dude in the middle, the models comprising this unit are from the C07 Rangers line. From left to right they are Poacher, Scout, Trapper, and Gamekeeper. So far, I haven't been able to identify the range to which the middle model belongs. The models in the Rangers line are all very characterful, and I was really looking forward to painting them. However, once I got working on them, it was impossible to not to notice how rough some of the details are. If it weren't for the Challenge, I probably would have stopped painting them in order to do some reconstruction of the dodgy spots.

On a side note, I had painted three of the five models back in the late 80s (Scout, Trapper, and Gamekeeper), and stripped them so I could give them updated paint jobs for the challenge. Before sending them to the chemical bath, I remembered to take a photo of the Scout and Trapper:

c.1988 paint job with gloss varnish.

Modern paint job, unvarnished.

And with that, February is finished. It was a rough month, and I salute all of my fellow challengers that were able to make it through without falling to the field of bones.

Qrab's Empire: Reiksgard (228 points)

My contribution to the first month of the second Old World Army Challenge consists of the Empire's elite infantry unit, 11 Reiksgard who are joined by a Level 10 Hero. Combined, the unit and hero total 228 points.

Over the summer, as I prepared for the second Challenge, I spent a fair amount of time looking through my collection. I've acquired a reasonable amount of the MM65 Marauder Reiksguard and initially considered painting them, but they're just so big that they're difficult to rank up on 20mm bases. Ultimately I decided to select for this unit a handful of models I had originally painted back in the 80s. Those classic models were supplemented with command models from the mid 90s as well as a Marauder Empire Ogre I had picked up somewhere along the way (I'd really like to get more, but the prices are more than I'm willing to spend). Stripped of the old paint jobs and cleaned of mold lines I didn't bother with back in the 80s, the unit is an eclectic mix of characters, which I think is fitting for an elite unit. 

As I started working on the shields, I decided to paint the right side in the colors of Altdorf (red and blue) and paint the left side with different colors to reflect the province from which each individual originated.

Here's a photo of the entire unit.

Empire Reiksgard - +2 Shock Elites.

Because some of the models in the rear ranks are obscured, here are some photos of the individual models. Starting with the unit leader, Sir Kit Breaker from the 1986 Paladins range. For the purposes of the Challenge, he is a Level 10 Hero with heavy armor and shield (59 points). The colors on Baronen Breaker's shield indicate he is from Reikland.

Baronen Sir Kit Breaker, Leader of the Reiksgard.

Next up are two of the Reiksguard command models from the mid 90s.

Reiksgard Musician.

Reiksgard Standard Bearer (banner to be painted later).

Rounding out the front rank is Moritorus, a model from the 1984 Lords of Battle/Fighter range. This guy has a very dynamic pose making him difficult to photograph. He's also got snake motifs on his armor, which is unusual. The colors on Moritorius' shield indicates he's from Middenland.

Moritorus - front side.

Moritorus - back side.

In the second rank is Sir Crispen of Talabheim, released as part of the 1987 F2 Fighters range. 

Sir Crispen of Talabheim.

Also in the second rank is Otto Wolvesbane, another model from the Lords of Battle range. With his fur lined helmet and boots, I imagined Otto as hailing from the northern province of Ostermark, so the colors on his shield are maroon & yellow.

Otto Wolvesbane from Ostermark.

In the back rank we have a paladin based on the same model as Sir Kit Breaker, but with a helmetless head and a different sword arm. I couldn't find him on Stuff of Legends, so for now he is unnamed and carries a black shield.

A mysterious warrior.

The other member of the back rank is Anthony of Averland, also from the F2 Fighters range. This sculpt is a little dodgy; the massive wings on top of the helmet were a tricky to paint and even trickier to photograph!

Anthony of Averland.

The final model in the unit is my personal favorite of the MM41 Marauder Ogres, Ogre with Greatsword. On a 40mm base, he takes up the space of four models. There's a lot of detail packed into this what at first glance appears to be a simple sculpt.

Marauder Ogre - front side.

Marauder Ogre - back side.

So that's it for January. The models are all painted, but the weather isn't warm enough to seal them. rather than have a repeat disaster as I did with my Thugs last year, these models will remain unsealed until the weather is better.

Still trying to decide what to paint next month.

Qrab's Empire - Introduction

Hello from the west coast where "winter" is more of a concept than an actual season. I considered including a picture of the view from my office's lobby area as proof, but that might be considered cruel to those who live in less pleasant climes.

Readers are referred to this post from last year's Old World Army Challenge where they will find an actual introduction from me. For those too lazy to follow the link, in last years Challenge I painted a 3rd Edition Chaos army consisting of a staggering 32 models (plus 6 bonus models). If I'm being totally honest, as great as it was to complete the Challenge, an army comprising 32 models isn't that much of a challenge. I don't think a month went by following the end of the first Challenge that I began preparing for the next one.

Therefore, for this year's Challenge, I've decided to go back to my roots and paint models for the army I played back in the 80s when I started playing 3rd Edition WHFB: The Empire. In some cases, I'll be repainting models from my old army because part of the preparation for this year's Challenge included stripping the paint from models that formed my old army. It was bittersweet, and filled with some twinges of nostalgia, but my painting style/technique has improved over the past 30 years and I wanted to do justice to some classic models from the best era of Citadel miniatures.

After some time spent sorting through my lead pile and pouring over the unit entries in Warhammer Armies I arrived at the following units for my army:

• 11 Reiksgard with standard & musician (169 points)
• 1 Baronen (level 10 hero) with heavy armor & shield (59 points)

"The infantry contingent of the Imperial Guard"

• 15 Helblitzen with standard & musician (153 points)
• 1 Graf (level 5 hero) with light armor & double-handed weapon (34 points)

"The mainstay of the infantry are the halberdiers"

• 15 Ersatzsolder with light armor, halberds, standard & musician (153 points)
• 1 Graf (level 5 hero) with light armor (32 points)

"Mustered from the urban population"

• 11 Arbrustschutzen with standard & musician (130 points)
• 1 Graf (level 5 hero) with light armor & crossbow (35 points)

"Some states, such as Nuln, favour Tilean crossbowmen"

• 8 Fleglers with standard & musician (110 points)

"They belong to a sect of religious fanatics common within The Empire"

• 5 Bergjaeger (65 points)

"Exceptionally resourceful and much valued as scouts"

• 1 Reiks Kanone Batterien (60 points)

"The first province to use cannon was Nuln"

Total points: 1000

The Empire marches to the Challenge

With more than double the number of models than last year's Chaos army, this year it will definitely be a challenge to make it all the way through. The challenge will be cranked up even further by the fact that I have to travel out of town for work multiple times in both January & February. Wish me luck.

Qrab's Chaos: The Warband Wrap-up

After many months it's time for my final post for the inaugural Old World Army Challenge. Leading up to this, each month brought the dual pressure of painting the models and blogging about which actually served as inspiration for writing the blog. Whether it was reminiscing about the models selected for the month, my success (or failure) with painting those models, and/or plans for the following month, there was always something to say. Now that the challenge is over, I find myself somewhat at a loss for words. However, I suspect most folks don't care about my ramblings and would rather just see pictures of classic miniatures from the golden age of Citadel. So, let me start with a shot of the entire army painted for the challenge:

Lord Duherst the Master Butcher's Warband

Qrab's Chaos Dwarf Über Allies (352 points)

Here we are in the final month of the painting challenge and I find myself unable to stop. In my last blog post I alluded to working on something short and explosive and the models I painted this month fit that description. For April I finished a small Chaos Ally Contingent consisting of five more classic Oldhammer models that came out to 352 points.

• Chaos Sorcerer Contingent Commander (240 points)
• Chaos Dwarf Mortar team (42 points)
• Chaos Dwarf Bazuka team (70 points)

The gang's all here.

Qrab's Chaos: March Marauders Madness (205 points)

After finishing early last month, and with only five models left to paint for the challenge, I was optimistic that I'd be one of the first to finish the challenge. But here it is the last week of March and I've just now finished painting those five models. Where did the fucking time go?

Also, after last month's disaster, I decided to wait for it warms up before I apply the clear coat. So, for now these guys are attached to their bases with pins (no glue). Looking at the close up photos I see some rough spots I'm not really happy with, so after the challenge is over I might do some touch ups.

Anyway, this month I present the front rank for my unit of Chaos Marauders with two-handed weapons, for a total of 205 points. I kept to the same color scheme used for the models in the rear rank, but it appears I flipped the steel and black armor pieces.

The front rank

Qrab's Chaos: Trolls, Thugs & Tragedy (197 pts)

It turns out February is not only the shortest month of the challenge, it's also turned out to be the cruelest month. 

Readers might assume from the tone of the introductory sentence that what follows would be a mulligan post, but those readers would be wrong! While there may only be 28 days to work with this month, I was feeling good after December's output. So, rather than play it safe and paint five Marauders, I decided to to push myself and paint the larger group of models among those I had left. This meant 10 Thugs with long bows, a standard, and a musician (132 pts) as well as a single Troll (65 pts).

The Troll known as MM40/02 TR6

Qrab's Chaos: The Dog Brothers (218 pts)

Greetings!

Another month and another increase in my painting output. For January I painted 10 whole models! (Just never you mind that 8 of those models are chaos hounds).

One option from the 3rd Edition Chaos list that I've always liked is the Beastmasters with Chaos Hounds. Back in the days when I was scouring eBay, I managed to pick up two of the Marauder Miniatures Beastmasters and their Hounds, as well as a bunch of the original (if somewhat smaller) Citadel Chaos Hounds.

When it came time to put together a list for this challenge, it was a no brainer for it to include some Beastmasters. As it happens, 2 Animal Handlers with light armor and 8 Chaos Hounds costs 218 points. Because two or more Beastmasters and their pack can join up, this month's "unit" gives me some flexibility; I can deploy them all as one unit, or split them into two smaller units if needs be. And, with both the handlers and the hounds having T4 and W2, even the small units are relatively durable.

Unfortunately, when I was prepping & basing the models for the challenge, I neglected to position them so they could be ranked up, so for the time being I'd deploy them separately. I have about 10 hounds spare, so there's a project for another day.

To my knowledge, Marauder Miniatures weren't given names like many of the old Citadel models were, so I had to improvise for these two handlers. Because both handlers are the same model, I figure they must be brothers ... the Dog brothers. First up is Iyan and his pack:

Dog brother Iyan with his Black Skaven cloak and Skaven tail whip.

Qrab's Chaos: A Handful of Marauders (205pts)

This month I quintupled the number of models painted compared to last month. Taken at face value that seems pretty impressive, but what it really means is that I painted five models. These particular models constitute the back rank of my 10 strong unit of Marauders* with two-handed weapons. With each model costing 41 points, this gives me a grand total of 205 points for December.

Several of the models I painted this month were given names when they were first released 30-odd years ago. And even though my collection of Citadel Journals & Compendiums is packed away in storage, thanks to the fantastic Stuff of Legends website, I was able to find those names.

First up is a group shot. As with the unit I painted two years ago, the armor on these figures was also painted with a black and steel color scheme. This time, however, I reversed the position of the black armor pieces. There's a fair amount of fur on these guys as well, and together with the armor I think they're a little too dark. Looking at the photos, I need to add some colors to the bases to create more contrast and differentiate the earth from the fur boots.

The back rank.

Qrab's Chaos: Where's the Beef?

My first contribution to the Old World Army Challenge consists of one* model: the mighty Deathsteer weighing in at 190 points. There's a part of me that feels painting one model was cheating, but given my November work schedule and the fact I haven't painted a model in over two years, I needed to ease back into things. This particular model is Minotaur Lord Body 2 with Head 2 (Hooded). The details of this model are pretty interesting what with the blunt sword, bionic left leg, and flayed skin. Combined with the gimp mask style hood, this model could easily fit into a Slaaneshi warband.

Here's the beef!

Qrab's Chaos Warband

Greetings from the west coast. My name is Rich, but I go by Qrab on a few of the forums I used to frequent (and on rec.games.miniatures.warhammer back in the days of usenet). I started playing Warhammer back in the late 1980s when 3rd edition was released. At that time I collected an Empire army. My local game store (Rigel Games and Books) stocked a good amount of Citadel Miniatures, but sadly Empire models were not well represented, so my army was never anything more than a hodgepodge of human models. I continued collecting models and playing intermittently through the days of Herohammer (4th and 5th editions), but I can’t say I really enjoyed those games. Tired of having my Empire destroyed in nearly every game, I expand my model collection to include Chaos and Undead (with Mummies!) armies. My interest in Warhammer was rekindled with the release of 6th edition and continued through to 7th edition. Unfortunately, that span of time coincided with 13 years of work related exile in the Mojave Desert (archaeologists gotta go where the jobs are!), which meant I only got a few games in a year. I played two or three games of 8th edition, but didn’t find it very inspiring.