Purple and Spiky - A Dark Eldar project log

[doghouse]

Really nice work mate, loving the Archon and Retinue especially. Great combination of the bone and purple that ties them together with the warriors.
Great job on the Archon conversion, looks dead sinister which is what an Archon should look like and the scourges are really nice as well. Very characterful force shaping up here.
Keep at it mate.

[TimLeeson]

Great army, and for some reason theres a distinct Mortal Kombat "feel" to some of the troops, namely the ones with red markings on their white skin. I wish there was more DE players out there to play against, especially if their armies are as good as this one.

[mdiscala]

I like how you paint the color around the eyes on the bare heads, really makes them look evil.

[[sgt.Harris](voltarian)]

These look really awesome and i think you have made my decision for my next army

subscribed!

laters, volt

[Hadriel Caine]

wowie! a whole plethora of responses to that! i think that's the most replies I've ever got on this forum for one post, and probably in any thread too so thanks a lot indeed!

@mdiscala - the purple around the eyes is REALLY simple to do. its literally just leviathan purple wash. DONE. makes them look pretty evil though.

I'm trying to track down more alternative Elf heads from fantasy for use on warriors. i want the champion's head from the DE COs (as seen on my Vampire lord, follow link in sig) and the head from the HE Repeater Bolt thrower crew... got a few too many standard heads and am bored of resculpting ALL the hair.

I'm going into Sheffield tomorrow morning to get hold of a couple more Raiders from Wargames Emporium. Maybe they'll have a Talos in stock, though I doubt it.

cheers

Adam

[Hadriel Caine]

so I usually have fairly successful trips to Wargames Emporium. This trip was, however, incredible. I have managed to get hold of another two Raiders for £10 each. bargain as RRP is £18 each... AND I managed to get. a. TALOS! £12. 1999 casting. NEVER opened.

here we go, my transports and wraithlord EQ:





how good is that? my whole army either flys OR has a Raider transport now. no more proxying with Steve's Devilfish/ Hammerheads for me! huzzah!

Adam

[Hadriel Caine]

seems my raiders were lead balloons then... no responses.
well, my camera is at home BUT I have painted two of them (and done some work on a third to bring it into line with the rest of my minis). just need to do some indestructible flying stands too.

I have begun painting my Talos as well but he's at home not in store so that'll have to wait.



the above picture is of my Archon's Raider. hence the rear fin and the extra armour (used to be a Ravager I think).

below is a current 'painted' shot of my army. the unpainted stuff isn't in the display cabinet, yet.



3 Raiders
7 Incubi (including Drazhar)
1 Archon
5 Scourges
8 Warriors

all painted

heres a shot of my mates Tyranid brood (WIP) he beat me twice the other day, I'm struggling with the army list!


expect more updates soon, however opinions and comments would be helpful in the meantime!

Adam

[FraustyTheSnowman]

The purple/pink raider (not the lord's, but the first one shown) is an amazing conversion. I've been trying to figure out how to make my raiders look different, and I'm so going to have to steal this from you. The blue raiders just don't do it for me though. I realize they're not done, so that might have a lot to do with it, but to me they're no where near dark enough to truely be dark eldar...Lord's raider looks NICE though, good job!

Are you still loosing to you're nid friend? If so I'd be interested in looking at your list. First thing I can tell you, is as cool as you're scourges and hellions are, they need to go. Scourges are so absolutely over priced it's horrifying. I think you would be better off getting a bunch of raider squads and giving them all splinter cannons. Then you have firepower spread out among multiple units that are scoring.

Really digging the wyches by the way. Just fineshed up getting mine together. Had pretty much the same idea with the corsairs. Only thing I don't like is the tau weapon. Just doesn't look "dark eldary" to me. What I did was cut up the crossbows and convert them into shredders (and eventually will do blasters). Might be able to get pictures if you're interested.

Keep up the good work! We need more TRUE ELDAR logs on warseer! (so sais the DE player who doesn't have a log up yet)

[Hadriel Caine]

Hey! thanks very much for your response. To clarify (as my phone pictures obviously didn't do this well enough...) the two raiders that WERE blue are now Purple. The Lord's raider is the one on the left of the pic in post 67. the other Raider's are getting the same treatment as the Pink one (which is for the wyches).

News for today. I have succumbed and bought the DE Wyches in metal. I am going to be using my corsairs conversions as Mandrakes for the time being.

I have also got two more Hellions (to make 5) and am converting one to have a Blaster as I type. cos I have four arms...

Going to put a Dracon with them. Dropping the Scourges in <2000 point games.

pics later on methinks.

Adam

ps will think of a list later tonight, feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated FraustyTheSnowman!

[Hadriel Caine]

Ok better pictures having been in to store with my camera and laptop!
Dracon's Raider

Alt view

Warriors' Raider 1


Army Shot


List to follow again but its exactly 1500 pts!

C&C appreciated, been quite around here!

Adam

[FraustyTheSnowman]

Looking very nice. Didn't realize the background was a mirror at first...was getting ready to ask why you put half your raiders on the table backwards...I'm bright...realy I am...

The driver on the lord's raider looks absolutely wicked. Anywhere specific you got that head? Looks like his mouth is open, like he's screaming.

On the nit picky end of the constructive crit type thing...how thin are your paints? The metalics look a little uneven here and there, like you need another coat or two...the purple highlights on the lords raider are likewise...I think one more coat on the highlights, followed by a very thin strip of a lighter purple just on the very edge of the plates would look good.

1500 and you have three raiders? hmm...I'm far from an expert in using dark eldar, but this seems very...off...to me. I'm very interested to see the list you're using. I think I've got 5 raiders in my thousand point list...

[Hadriel Caine]

hey thanks for the continued interest!

the head of the Driver for the Dracon's Raider is from the Ravager set (I think) which the model was based on(hence the extra armour). I see you point about the extra highlights. the metals need highlighting too. the paint was thin enough but I am painting over somebody else's efforts as the vehicles are all second (or third) hand. I can't afford to get paint stripper (hence buying old vehicles). I may tidy them up when the rest of the army is painted to a decent standard. at the moment however I don't think it takes precedence over the 24 warriors, 10 wyches, 10 Mandrakes and 5 Helions I have left to do. sigh.

My list, then, is as follows

Dracon
shadowfield, combat drugs, agoniser, splinter pistol, plasma grenades
Drazhar
5 Incubi and Incubi Master
Raider

Dracon
punisher, tormentor helm, hellion skyboard, combat drugs

10 Mandrakes

9 Wyches and Succubus
Agoniser, Raider, Wych Weapons, Plasma grenades

2x 6 Warriors and Sybarite
Agoniser, splinter cannon, Raider

10 Warriors
2 Dark Lances

3 Hellions and Succubus
blaster

Talos

1500pts exactly!

there are 4 Raiders in my 1500pt list but I have yet to paint one of them, hence its absence!

thoughts?

Adam

oh and Yes I have a plan for my Dracon on Skyboard!

[FraustyTheSnowman]

Completely understand about building on a budget. Depending on who you know and all, brake fluid works pretty good for stripping. I keep hearing it wont hurt plastics, but I haven't personally tried it yet.

I noticed you sign your posts Adam. Odly enough I used to know an Adam that played dark eldar...You didn't happen to used to live in wyoming did you?

In the games you play, how does your lord and retinue do? I'm guessing you lose them alot, as they charge into hand to hand, butcher whatever they just assaulted, and then get shot to hell...An HQ that fancy is a little much for 1500...at least in my opinion.

No nothing on your raiders? I use terrorfex and slave snares...most people don't like the slave snares, but I always end up with an extra 60-70 points and can't find anything else to blow it on. Still haven't made much use of the terrorfex, but everyone in the dark eldar tactica advocated it pretty strongly.

I'm dying to hear the plan with the hellion board riding dracon...cuz I think him and the hellions might be your biggest problem.

The solitare talos could be an issue as well. They're slow, and I'm not seeing a web way portal in your list. Three will draw a lot of firepower, and one or two will make it across the board. A couple in a webway will be able to get to the lines if you get your portal in a good spot. But a lonely talos crawling all the way across the board?? If I were playing you I would either pelt it with long ranged firepower (autocannons and multi lasers with the guard) or ignore and evade it (mechanized deathguard). On a related note, funny thing I've been thinking about...mostly because I like to be irritating, and I hate apocolips...but I was thinking about building a webway army, with fifteen or so talos. Deploy the portal holders WAY up front...first turn drop three portals spaced across the board...second turn five come through strategic reserves appearing in the center of the board...third turn ten more come out to back up the first five, or if the opponent goes to either side to get away from them the rest come out of a different portal.

So, in your raider squads...whats the point of the sybarites? He's a twenty six point model, set up for hand to hand in a squad that likely wont see much. Once you start getting more raider squads those points are going to add up quick.

[Hadriel Caine]

I noticed you sign your posts Adam. Odly enough I used to know an Adam that played dark eldar...You didn't happen to used to live in wyoming did you?

Erm sadly no! I live in England and have done all my life. never had the chance to go to the States.

The Incubi I justify thus- I love the models. they are expensive. they DO die (although they take a lot with them). But similarly if they draw fire then that's something else to do the damage right? and if they do get into combat they win. (except against a broodlord and lots of stealers...)

The Raiders squads are my combat support units, trust me it works. i send in my wyches, mandrakes and retinue. the warriors deploy behind them, shooting up potential countercharging units before entering the fray themselves. the Sybarite with agoniser can take down a grey knights' grandmaster so they will not be dropped I'm afriad. WORTH THE POINTS. I usually play GKs, Nids and Eldar so the list is slightly tailored towards these forces. putting out lots of pain before my low toughness kills me.

the Talos and Hellions are WIP tacticswise- sometimes they are awesome sometimes a bit meh.

heres hoping I get used to it soon!

Adam

[FraustyTheSnowman]

Yeah, they do draw quite a bit of fire...Every time I play someone for the second time, one of the first things they ask me is "which one of your raiders has the power halberd ****ers?!" I'm of the mindset that more basic guys is better though, so in 1500 I would use less "elite" type thingies, but that's just me.

I've been recomended similar tactics with the raider squads, only giving them poisoned blades instead...fifteen points cheeper I believe? Might have to try it out, as warriors having a bloody initiative of 5 makes me REALLY want to charge things with them.

You never explained the plan with the lord on hellion board still wondering how that works out...

[Hadriel Caine]

You never explained the plan with the lord on hellion board still wondering how that works out...

It really doesn't.

Lovely model though. I'm thinking about having a reshuffle for 1500pts. Hoping to play more 2000 point games though.

Lord on Skyboard will probably become a Succubus for the unit instead...

Adam

[Hadriel Caine]

Ok proper update then. I spent a long time today painting lots of nice things. First up I put static grass on the bases of all the incubi and scourges and three warriors I had missed. They are actually complete now. *Smiley face*

I also painted up and based the Talos, a Raider and some random stuff for other plogs.
I did all the bases for the Raiders. All my vehicles are now based AND painted.

ok pictures:

Talos

Raider 4

All my vehicles (in 1500pts list)

vehicle bases


ok so the image quality is fairly poor but you get the idea!

I also made an alternative Skyboard for my Wych Dracite. I don't have pictures as yet but its pretty cool IMO.

thoughts?

Adam

[wolfslough]

That talos looks great! I love your purple-bone colour scheme. I think I will also steal your raiders conversion, for I too have made me army completely off ebay and some of the raiders lack tail fins and the like...

[Hadriel Caine]

Hello again.
Steal away wolfslough, makes em easy to transport too!
Managed to finally assemble and base the Wyches I bought last month.
I'm still waiting on post from Canada (cheers Ser_Spazz) for the Wych Dracite on Hellion Skyboard but I have assembled the board itself and put some Hellion legs in place.
pics:





I'm thinking I might do their armour in black with extreme green highlights.

thoughts?

Adam

[salarath]

Looking good man, i'm looking forward to shooting them up when painted! Can't wait to see what your dracite looks like