craftworlds – Page 2 – Twitchy Bristles

Eldritch Ruins

“Thrilluminati Confirmed” – Me, to “Upya Butt” on completion.

First off, a big thank you to the Ko-Fi user “Upya Butt” (who definitely, totally isn’t the same friend who’s done my Avatar art for this site) who pitched in $21 for me to resupply and take on one more fun weekend project before moving on to my Death Guard pictures and stuff on my bench. I got to paint some happy little trees, and I’m very pleased with how they turned out.

Pictured: The elusive Space Dandelion in its natural habitat.

I’ve been having a lot of fun lately with autumnal colours, and also I’m very much a fan of dandelions, so I tried to work both of those in a little in terms of the tree colours. The timing is also perfect – with 9th Edition close at hand and me and some friends planning a narrative Death World campaign (using the new Crusade format) so these are going to be real useful.

In the darkness of space, those who escaped destruction upon the craftworlds cling to what remains of the fallen Aeldari empire. They consider themselves the true children of Asuryan, preserving the art and architecture of their people and passing their ancient history from generation to generation via song, dance, and the recital of myths and parables.

Jain Zar

I picked up Jain Zar recently from my FLGS, Noble Miniatures (who are awesome, by the way, check them out!), intending for it to be the new star model of my Howling Banshees and this kit did not disappoint. The model has fantastic size and presence to it, and despite minor frustrations initially trying to put it together painting it was a smooth, fun experience.

Even compared to my Oldhammer Wraithlord, Jain Zar has quite a bit of height!

I’m excited to see her on the tabletop once 9th Edition rolls out. I’m thrilled with how the paint job turned out, and even if it’s a small detail I feel like Nihilakh Oxide really pulled through for me again on the mask, giving her an even more “ghostly” feel. I might have to spend more money if new Eldar sculpts in the future keep turning out so good!

Jain Zar’s astonishing swiftness and mercurial temperament are echoed by her Howling Banshee daughters, and it was she who first perfected the Scream that Steals – the psychosonic barrage that emanates from her mask can not only stun foes but liquefy their brains in the process. That death-dealing war cry has been heard across the galaxy, and it has proven that even the immortal servants of the Dark Gods are not above fear.

Spiritseer Caen’thala

A Spiritseer as a Warlord? Heresy! In all seriousness, I didn’t want to make Eldrad Ulthran my Warlord because he can’t take relics or other nifty warlord abilities in 8th, so I decided that I was going to give the job to a Spiritseer! Caen’thala is the new 8th Edition sculpt kitbashed together with some Age of Sigmar bits to give her a little more character and personality.

Pictured are all my recent Ulthwe characters together in one place. In matching outfits!

Caen’thala is equipped with Kurnous’ Bow instead of a Shuriken pistol, and also has the Seer of the Shifting Vector ability to make her a little more Perils-proof. Her preferred psychic powers are Protect/Jinx or Enhance/Drain, and to paraphrase/quote The Emperor TTS series, she longs for genestealer ass.

Spiritseers are those upon the Witch Path who are called to commune with the dead – a chilling concept, even amongst the Asuryani. Though Spiritseers help to ensure the survival of the entire Aeldari race, their actions are perceived by those around them as akin to necromancy; yet another depth the craftworlds must sink to in their struggle to stave off a lingering demise.

Howling Banshees

Tallithea swallowed hard, caught between her desire to see the ceremony under way and her fear of doing so. The scream of the banshee was gaining strength inside her, rising in volume, demanding to be let free. She feared that if she did not don her war mask soon it would erupt anyway, with who could say what disastrous consequences?

Howling Banshees are my absolute all-time favorite Eldar unit. They were some of the first 40k models I ever owned and I’ve kept them as a mainstay of my army ever since. I’ve painted tons of oldhammer ones, and recently decided I was going to repaint a batch of my metal ones to see how much better I could do this time around.

They don’t take Overwatch, they can Advance and Charge with a bonus, and they get to fight first when Jain Zar is around. What’s not to love?

The results are everything I hoped for, and with their shiny new resin scenic bases they fit in brilliantly with the newly-released Jain Zar model. As much as I love my Oldhammer banshees, which I’ll probably post up here too sometime, I think this is going to be my Banshee A-Team for a good long time comin’.

Howling Banshees are swift and athletic Aspect Warriors who are famously deadly in melee. They embody the sudden wrath of Khaine, attacking with such swift certainty that the foe has no time to properly defend itself. Using a special war mask to enhance their battle cries, they rob the wits of the enemy moments before the kill.

Objective Markers

Jain Zar turned slowly, seeing row after row of cadaverous faces leering down at her from the stands – a crowd of the deceased, some little more than dead skin on skeletons, others with split skulls, gashed faces, slit throats, pierced breastbones and savaged ribcages. Her opponents. Her victims.

Since Howling Banshees were a big chunk of my Eldar work over the last while, I decided I wanted to have some nifty new objective markers done up for them – and this also gave me something to do with some old, 1-2 ed. Banshees that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get around to!

Pictured are markers one, two, and three, distinguished by the number of minis on them. I’m so clever sometimes.

I also used a miniature I got free a while back because they looked ancient and elven and fit the rest of the aesthetic here enough – and because thematically it fits with my army, since my Spiritseer wields Kurnous’ Bow instead of a regular shuriken pistol. These were super easy and quick to do, because Nihilakh Oxide is magical stuff.

Dire Avengers

Devotees of Asuryan himself, those who walk the path of the Dire Avenger become adept at both attack and defence. Their exarchs are masters of a swift and flexible warrior-stance that capitalises on everything it means to be Asuryani.

Dire Avengers were a change of pace for me! Up to this point my only Troops units for Eldar have been Guardians or Rangers, but when a friend gifted me a box of them last year I was thrilled to be able to work on them, and to add them to my regular Eldar lists.

Pictured is yet another Fire Emblem reference – the fam’s all here!

Most of these were just done straight from the box but I did a little kitbashing with a couple of them to make homages to Fire Emblem characters, since the friend who got me to the box is a huge Fire Emblem fan. I’m very happy in the end with how they turned out, kitbashes and all, and I’m excited to see how they do on the tabletop.

Dire Avengers take to the field armed with Avenger Shuriken Catapults. These elegant weapons are even more advanced than the Shuriken Catapults used by the craftworld Guardians. Their lethal volleys echo the Death of a Thousand Blades, the punishment that Khaine metes out upon traitors and cheats who are unworthy of a clean kill.

Bonesinger Ry’hil

Ry’hil is a Bonesinger I use as a stand-in for Eldrad Ulthran during friendly games because I love the way that the model looks (and because I finished him just in time for GW to shoo him off to Legends!) When I started getting into 40K I played a lot of the original Dawn of War, and I always thought the Bonesingers were one of the most interesting Eldar units in the game.

Bonesinger Ry’hil, pictured mending a nearby wraith construct.

The Bonesinger had a really neat but brief time in the sun in 8th edition, being one of the only Eldar units that can repair or heal another. Very happy with how this one turned out as a painting project, and I think it’s underrated in what a pretty design the model is.

Those Asuryani who have mastered the less esoteric paths are no less respected than their brethren. After all, the artisans are those who create the craftworlds themselves and their contents, calling masterpieces into being with the care a musician lavishes upon his harp, or a warrior upon his sword.

Wave Serpent

The Wave Serpent “Jorel’s Ancient” is one of the hardest and most rewarding rescues I’ve worked on to date. When I got a hold of this it was second-hand, and many of the parts had been haphazardly glued to each other in the wrong order. I took it apart, put it back together, gave it plenty of love and a few extra plastic bits, and I’m very happy with the end result.

*Asuryani missile launchers are also superior to the Imperium’s own, using complex chambered pods that contain several different types of ammunition, all but eliminating the need to reload.*

The only thing I’d change on this if I were to do it over is using a lighter base color than black – I’d been hoping to make a design like a tree with autumn leaves, but on a stark black background it looks a little more like fire, which has caused it to be dubbed by at least one art friend “THE HELL TREE.”

Gliding over a planet’s surface like a shoal of predatory fish, the grav-tanks of the craftworlds are a formidable addition to the warhosts. Whether acting as battle tanks, transports, tank destroyers or assault craft, the sight of these distinctive armoured vehicles skimming over the horizon has filled many enemies of the Asuryani with dread.

Support Weapon

Guardians Jorel and Oran, standing by to unleash the D-Cannon.

The same friend who gifted me the “Big Sister” wraithlord got me a couple of metal guardians to fix up, too, and I managed to get a hold of a weapon platform after to go with them. I magnetized and mounted the cannon onto a 50mm base, which isn’t quite ITC standard but it’s worked for me in a bunch of local games, and I think it’s a nice fit.

*The most dangerous guns used by the Asuryani are those such as the D-Cannon, which enables its user to open a portal to the hellish immaterium of the warp.*

Might try my hand someday at one of the updated plastic models, but for now I’m very happy with how this turned out, and it packs a hell of a punch! Doesn’t even need line of sight or anything.

Known to the craftworlders as Vaul’s Wrath in honour of their smith-god’s deadly skills, these large yet graceful war machines are crewed by two experienced Guardians, who glide the weapons into position on the battlefield with the help of anti-gravitic engines.

Wraithlord “Big Sister”

“Big Sister,” pictured equipped with two Shuriken Cannons and her trusty Banshee mask.

A couple Christmases ago, a local friend I play 40k with gave me a few old metal models to rescue/repair, and I couldn’t have been happier to take this on. This model is probably held together with more green stuff, putty, and glue than actual metal, but she’s all done and magnetized and ready for the tabletop. Had the chance to go back recently and give her a couple touch-ups before picture day, too.

“Big Sister” and all of her little sisters, pictured about to ruin somebody’s day.

Towering over her former squadmates and equipped with a pair of Shuriken Cannons, a Shuriken Catapult, and a Flamer, I imagine Big Sister having been a Howling Banshee in life who’s been called back by the Infinity Circuit to stand with her sisters even in death.

I know it’s objectively goofier than the sleek new 4th ed. one, but I love the design of the old wraithlords and I’m really happy with how she turned out – especially with the addition of a few Craftworlds and Age of Sigmar bits for flavor.