ZeroTwentythree's Post-OWAC5 Undead Wrap-up Post (2,089 pts)

Post-Challenge Wrap Up

"Season of the Liche"

Mighty, Bright Winged, Slightly-Off, Lord of Undead, ZeroTwentythree, with his Mighty, Slightly-Off Undead Army

Based on this year's Intro Post, one would have thought I was planning to paint a pretty straight forward undead force. A fast-attack "wing" for my always growing undead army. But here we are. Things don't always end where they were planned at the start. I'm not going to say that's necessarily a bad thing. I had a lot of fun with this army challenge.

All of these photos are larger than I usually post, click/tap to enlarge.

Full army glamour shot

Full army glamour shot

 

The Liche, dismounted, treating Candyman, Phil the Spectre, Sexy Wraith, and other friends to some soup & salad at his henge cafe, The Slab & Ditch.

Step 1: Soup & salad. Step 2: skeletons.

This wasn't even supposed to be part of my challenge army, and it's not exactly old, but it fits the fast attack & death from above themes well!

Cavalry. This is probably where things first went awry.

We come with PEACE

My own version of the Plague Cart emerging from the Field of Bones, re-animated OWAC-ers in tow.

CAW!

The Liche sets out from his swank and freshly redecorated tumulus accompanied by The Overlord, Assistant Overlord, The 'Nurp, and Rainbow Death

Aside from the substitutions, a lot of the "extras" were... well, extra. I didn't plan on painting a large portion of this, or any of the terrain. So this was a very ad-lib army. The core remains the same: liche, infantry regiment, two small cavalry regiments, a plageue cart, and carrion. And much of that was on the table from the start. It just took a weird twist. Of those, only the cavalry figures were swapped out. So here's the grand total, re-calculated from scratch because somewhere along the way I screwed up the book-keeping.

Army Totals

 

The Liche (lv.15) w/undead horse, pistol.................................... 247 pts 

Candyman - Undead Hero (lv. 10) w/Army Standard, lt. armour........... 150 pts

Overlord (lv. 5 necromancer)........ 60 pts 

Assistant Overlord (lv. 5 necromancer).....   60 pts

25 Skeletons with light armour, shield, spear, musician, standard....... 378 pts
6 Death Riders w/Lances, Shields....... 138 pts
6 Death Riders w/Lances, Shields....... 138 pts
3 Carrion........................................................ 135 pts

1 Plague Cart....... 100 pts
1 Nightmare Legion with light armour, shield, spear....... 14 pts

Phil the Spectre.....................................................200 pts.

Purple Nurple Lv. 5 Hero w/ Undead Horse w/H. Arm., Shield, Barding............ 48 pts

Rainbow Death - Lv. 5 Hero w/ Undead Horse w/:. Arm, Shield, Lance (shhhh... they think they're a unicorn & noble rider).. 45 pts

Sexy Wraith.............. 150 pts

Dragon.............     0 pts
Undead Hero (lv. 10) w/ lt. armour, shield.......................... 58 pts

Undead Hero (lv. 10) w/undead horse, lt. armour, shield... 68 pts

Wight.................................................................................    100 pts

Henge w/stone circle, soup, salad....................................    unlimited skeletons

Total........................ 2,089 pts

A fun project! It's really going to be hard to switch gears (and mindsets) to something different. I could probably stretch this out into a "part two" next year. Or I could switch back to a more serious undead contingent. I still have all the original cavalry I had planned to paint, after all. Maybe a return to sci-fi/40k? I suppose there are any number of options...

...skrtch..skrtch...skrtch...

...hiding in the shadows.

ZeroTwentythree's June Undead (600pts)

June Entry

LEADER Month!

 

I decided to save the man... er, former man... himself for last - The Liche!

This figure holds a bit of nostalgia for me. One of my close friends when I was young had an undead army and used this figure from Grenadier as one of his leaders (general?) As I recall he painted it in a pretty loud color scheme. I'm sure I didn't manage an identical paint scheme, but I think I'm fairly close. Since I had to pick this figure up from eBay, I got the original pack with both mounted and on foot. It's nice to have both options!

Here he is accompanied by the army standard bearer, The Candyman. The figure is an old Citadel skeleton, but the scythe had broken off. So I took the logical step and gave him some festive balloons, and modified his shield arm to hold a star-bust swirl lollipop.

 

Next are two undead heroes that were part of the original, less weird OWAC plan that didn't involve flamingos, lollipops, or any of that nonsense. One is an old Citadel mounted wight who was intended to lead the regular undead horse cavalry. The other, on the left, is a more recent figure from Northstar that I was really fond of, and will lead the regiment of armored skeleton infantry. Lastly is an old '80s Citadel Lord of the Rings barrow wight I picked up part way through June. I just had to paint it right away!

 

 

 

Lastly, let us bow our heads to the loss of two more OWAC challengers who dropped out to the Field of Bones - Maciek and Andrea. But all is not lost, they shall fight and paint eternal as part of the Liche's elite painting team. Also, I lost one of the last '80s era paints that was still in usable condition. So it too will be memorialized as a small terrain piece.

 

 

Just when I thought I was in the home stretch and going to finish early, The Overlord posted the below image to the OWAC FB group.

 

I took that as a challenge.

 

Thus, I have a last minute henge, complete with circle of stones, soup, and salad.

 

 

 Here's a candid shot of the Liche about to perform one of his summoning rituals. Soup, salad, and barrels are not glued down, so I can use this for a variety of gaming purposes, not just amassing a skeleton army.

So there it is, June and another OWAC completed! Coming soon, my wrap-up post.

 

June Leader Month
 

1 Liche (lv.15) w/undead horse, pistol.................................... 247 pts
1 Undead Hero (lv. 10) w/Army Standard, lt. armour........... 150 pts

1 Undead Hero (lv. 10) w/ lt. armour, shield.......................... 58 pts

1 Undead Hero (lv. 10) w/undead horse, lt. armour, shield... 68 pts

2 Skeleton Warriors...............................................................   20 pts

1 Wight.................................................................................    100 pts

1 Henge w/stone circle, soup, salad....................................    unlimited skeletons

June Total: 600 pts

Grand Total: 1733 pts

ZeroTwentythree's May Undead (333 pts)

May Entry

Rank & File Month

 

As explained in my intro post, aside from Donovan, the other big inspiration for painting undead for this OWAC was my purchase of three Carrion from a semi-recent Knightmare Games Kickstarter. Awesome looking figures, but a bear to assemble! I kept putting them off and figured that an OWAC project would help motivate me into it... or retiring in shame to the Field of Bones.

Apparently it worked! Although it did come down to the later end of the OWAC before I finally picked up drill & wire & glue and finally got them prepped. So now I subject you to excessive photos in celebration of finally completing the death turkeys!

 

 

 

  

The one that gave me the most trouble is also my favorite, the one with feathered wings. My favorite rider, though, is the one with the outstretched scythe, on the right in the first photo. Feathery puts me in a mood...

 

And just for laughs....

I previously painted  an Overlord miniature. When the figure on the right, from Oldschool Miniatures, arrived I figured it was the perfect Assistant Overlord! Here are both of them, at the Field of Bones, discussing the fine print of the Old World Army Challenge Rules. (Actually, more like what you'd call guidelines...).

 

 

 

Finally, I managed to get the rest of this month's entry done at the last minute thanks to and in spite of the US Memorial Day holiday weekend. Five more Death Riders. Slightly different variety of flamingo served as the inspiration for these.

 

This figure was painted earlier, but I didn't want to reveal it until the rest were done. This was my first test model for the flamingo cavalry. Although I liked the idea, I decided I didn't want full squads of Necron 99/Peace inspired cav, so he will serve as a champion.

 

In spite of the last minute rush to finish painting, I still had time to relax by a fire on a beautiful Spring night and contemplate the completion of the OWAC next month.

 

May Rank & File Month
 

3 Carrion........................................................ 135 pts
1 Assistant Overlord (lv. 5 necromancer).....   60 pts

6 Death Riders w/Lances, Shields................   138 pts

May Total: 333 pts

Total So Far: 1,466 pts

ZeroTwentythree's April Undead (250 pts)

 April Entry

Wild Card Month!

I've been after a Citadel Plague cart for ages. I gave up trying to get one for a reasonable price and decided to make my own. I used some Citadel wheels, various skeletal bits & skulls, plasticard & rod, and I sculpted the yoke. I had started sculpting a driver but before I got very far a package from Shadespyre arrived, containing (among other things) a driver from the Citadel model!

 

 

The face was a bit of a joke and I hadn't intended on keeping it. But it's grown on my so I haven't painted over it. Yet? Maybe it will stay there forever.

I bought some new flower tufts for the cart, hoping to mimic the use of marigolds (flor de muerto) in Dia de Muertos celebrations, offrenda, etc. As I understand it, one reason for their use is for the scent of the flowers to guide the spirits of the dead back home. So here we have a more sinister version -- the cart driver, summoning the poor spirits back to their skeletal remains to be re-animated.

 

 

I also painted a wraith and some more home decor for the Liche's tumulus/party pad. Trophy heads on spikes, I think they came with some Foundry Gauls.

 

The wraith is translucent Reaper Bones figure. After reading how others had used clear acrylic medium or varnish and ink washes & such to shade the translucent figures I gave that a shot, but it didn't work AT ALL. So I ended up painting her with solid colors, as I would any other figure. Sort of an odd figure, more flesh and less robes than most other wraiths. Supposed to be some sort of "sexy" wraith, I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

I also painted an ancient carved stone monument. Its origins are a bit of a mystery. Although hobbits have only settled the Little Country and expanded into the Wasteland in relatively recent times, some say this stone monument is an indication that their ancient ancestors may also have had settlements in the region.

Speaking of Reaper Bones figures, I have had a zombie dragon sitting around prepped but unpainted for a couple of years. I had planned on painting it for a Deadcember painting challenge, but never got to it. I was hit by a sudden inspiration and painted it this month, as part of my April entry for no reason other than it needed painting. I had originally thought the figure was just OK, but after painting it I really like it! Not strictly "oldhammer" but I think it still fits the vibe of the rest of my largely oldhammer undead.

Interesting discovery: 3rd. ed. undead didn't have dragons. (In spite of the awesome Tom Meier zombie dragon figure that was available at the time.) I didn't have a full undead army back then. When we moved from playing RPG games to experimenting with various fantasy wargames to finally settling on doing big armies with WFB 3rd, I traded off my undead (and elves, goblins, etc.) to focus on bulking up just a couple of core armies. I think most of us avoided the big monsters most of the time anyway, I'm not sure why. At any rate, I get a big 0 points for the dragon this month, but I'm not really concerned with my points count anyway.

Lastly, I have we have unfortunately lost two more OWAC participants to the Field of Bones. But all is not lost. They shall fight, and paint, on in the eternal army of The Liche! Samuel will dual-wield hand weapon and paintbrush, same as those previously raised from the Field of Bones.  Bill, on the other hand, brings the heavy two-handed paint brush for those large and brutal painting needs. These two seriously look like undead versions of heroes from a fantasy novel cover. But with paint brushes. "Swords Against Unpainted Lead" or something like that. ;)

We had a brief but comfortable weekend of nice weather, so I managed to get some yard work done. Naturally, there were priorities...

 

 

Undead flamingos! The bunny ears fell off the skeleton in the background, who is pretty much a permanent fixture in front of our house since Halloween. The ears and the Easter basket were put away. Looking for a wreath of flowers or something else suitable for the next change in season.

FYI, the little fella to the right is Godzilla eating garden gnomes. A gift from my sister-in-law a couple years ago. The first of the flowers are starting to bloom, but the deer have unfortunately been trampling through the garden and eating them. I would love it if the undead flamingos scare them off, but unfortunately I think they may have the "immune to psychology" trait.

I'm trying to prep figures for the remaining two months. Expect to see more cavalry, some carrion, The Liche himselves (yes, plural) and a few more of his entourage!

April Wild Card Month
 

1 Plague Cart....... 100 pts
1 Wraith.............. 150 pts

1 Dragon.............     0 pts

Terrain...........          0 pts

April Total: 250 pts

Grand Total: 1133 pts

 

ZeroTwentythree's February Undead (289 pts)

February Entry - Armored Skeletons  (Rank & File pt. 2)

For February I finished the remainder of the regiment of armored skeleton infantry I started in January, including a standard bearer & musician. This time it is a mix of Harlequin/Black Tree (first pic) and Citadel (second pic).

 

 

Bonus Figures

 

"It's called an entourage."

But why?

 

"I don't know. Seems sort of odd to me, but there's a lot I don't understand about The Liche."

So who are they?

"The grumpy little brute is Purple Nurple. The other they call Rainbow Death.."

...

"No, that's not their Names. That's just what the Others are calling them. I have no idea. The Don and his Circle keep to themselves. I don't think the rider is actually animated. I think it's just some sort of ornament for the unicorn. Apparently they were both friends of his in life. He brought them back"

 

Not as creepy as Phil the Spectre, at least.

 

"Agreed."

 

Field of Bones

 

I have started on an actual Field of Bones, to honor the Old World Army Challenge's fallen...

 

... and also to raise them to do my bidding.

Tumulus

Themed terrain. I've been wanting to try this for a while. Not bad. I would like to try a larger and better planned tumulus at some point.

Simon

 

Why does he keep doing these... things?

"I really, really don't know."

Simon the Toxic Skeleshroom: "Aaaaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhh! Eat me! Aaaaaaaaggggghhhhh!"

 

Painting

 

I had a number of comments about the bone colors last time. I like some variety in the bone colors, so this is a quick & dirty explanation. When batch painting I will use 3-4 shade of white or light tan as a base coat. Then I "shuffle" the figures, and use various washes over those base colors. Sometimes I will mix two washes directly on the figure while they are still wet. Maybe even applying one to the top par, another to the bottom, and letting them blend in the middle. The effect is subtle but noticeable.

I also had comments about the rust. I previously posted a step by step of my rust process on my personal blog.

Colossus of Korg Peak

You finally returned. What came of the Liche's mountain venture?

"You know of the Colossus of Korg Point, right?"

Of course. I may not be nearly as old as you, but I know my history and legends.

"He found him."

The Colossus? He's real!?

"Oh, he's real. Frozen for millennia in mountain ice. Remarkably well preserved, in fact."

So he brought him back? With an unstoppable force like that, we could...

 

"Well yes... but also no. He performed the animation spell, but the brute couldn't free himself from the ice. We had to dig the giant out. There were... problems. The animated dead are not exactly talented or delicate laborers. The ice fractured, the body separated, such waste..."

That should be no problem, the process of binding...

"No, the damage was done. He could not recover it complete. Most of the torso writhed and fell into a chasm before it could be brought under control. I'm sure it will turn up eventually in some poor valley hamlet. But it was not a complete loss. We returned with... parts."

What do you mean?

"We returned with some pieces of the animated corpse."

...

 

"So the Master had one hand staked in place outside his tumulus. It's still animated, so there's that. Not really a weapon. Maybe it's a... Really, I don't know, I don't get it. It's mostly just pinned there. I think I might even feel bad for it. I think it's bored. Occasionally someone or something will get close and it will flail about, maybe smash something. It's getting really good at sitting perfectly still then crushing between its fingers any bird unfortunate enough to land on it."

 

"The other hand is on the Middenheim Road harassing travelers in a similar manner. Word has got out, though and most travelers just circumvent the thing. Both feet are creating an unbearable stink to the south. One is hidden in the ventilation tunnels of Karak Ghorne. You should see what he did with the Colossus's privates."

*Scream of Karl-Franz heard echoing in distant Altdorf*

OK. So where does this leave us? What strategic good will this do?

"Strategic good? Hahaha. I would just disregard it. Carry on as if the Colossus was never discovered. The Liche may be a mad genius, but not all of his plans are what most of us would call practical."

Ohhhhh Kaaaaaay. So what is this I heard about some sort of vicious birds?

Point Counts

I'm going a bit off the tracks. Initially I was only going to count the figures that I had planned from the start. But I think I would like to track what sort of a force I will end up with, so I'm going to re-start the calculations & include the extras, though I'm only going to include the bare minimums for most characters.

 

January Rank & File Month

13 Skeletons with light armour, shield, spear....... 182 pts

1 Nightmare Legion with light armour, shield, spear....... 14 pts

1 Phil the Spectre.....................................................200 pts.

January Total (revised): 396 pts 

 

Februrary Rank & File Month

 

12 Skeletons with light armour, shield, spear, musician, standard....... 196 pts

Lv. 5 Hero w/ Undead Horse w/H. Arm., Shield, Barding............................................ 48 pts

Lv. 5 Hero w/ Undead Horse w/:. Arm, Shield, Lance (shhhh... they think they're a unicorn & noble rider).. 45 pts

February Total: 289 pts

 

Grand Total: 685 pts