I'm adding this to the first post because I feel I left it out initially and should not have. From my point of view the Eldar martial spirit seems split into two different camps. The first is the Dark Eldar who are more like Space Ninjas, using fear and darkness as utensils in war and being more improvizational in combat. There is a certain level of theater built in to the way Dark Eldar wage war and then they fade into the shadows after they've achieved their goals or failed. The Craftworld Eldar, on the other hand, are more like Space Samurai. They are far more rigid and disciplined in combat, and it's far more ritualistic and ornamental. To this end I tried to capture the spirit of how I see Eldar in my craftworld army. For instance the flags which act like unit markers are far too heavy handed a visual marker and I think Eldar would have far subtler means of unit marking, but i see it as a relic from an older time, maintained for its ceremonial purposes, similar to how modern day marines are presented with swords. Tradition and ceremony are respected as much as progress in the act of waging war.
Back in 1992 I first got into Warhammer 40k. In fact I was drawn in by the Striking Scorpion Models. I purchased them and painted them and used them in nearly every game I played. Back in the old 2nd edition days I found myself drawn to the melancholy fluff of Ulthwe and the constant warfare that they were embroiled with.
Back in 2004 I came down with a health issue that forced me to sell off a large chunk of my Eldar, including that original unit of striking scorpions I had that started it all. Once I was able to start rebuilding my army I was finally able to turn my painting skills, much improved to what they had been, to recraft my force. This Painting Log is the record of that rebuilding and repainting process that I'm going through, and I thought it would be most appropriate to start off with the unit that started it all, the striking scorpions:
The Squad's name is "Creeping Death." To get the color of the armor plates I actually started off with Codex Grey highlighted with Elf Gray and then mixed Scorpion Green with water and washed the armor with a few layers of that. I tend to use 'ardcoat on my models (which is why they look so glaringly shiny in these pics) for protection, but also because thematically I think Eldar are more about pop and vibrancy then any sort of drab subtlety.
Next is a shot of just the Striking Scorpion Exarch, "Exarch Kareon". I like the idea of Eldar holding a very samurai kind of vibe and so many of my units have squad leaders with back banners. I also gave my primary Exarch Chainsabres because I was so enamored with the image of them from one of Jes Goodwin's concept sketches. I also quite like the rules for them.
I used a triangular rune bit to make a scorpion rune for the top of the banner, something that I'll be repeating throughout the force. This particular one looks better when viewed slightly from above like when you're looking at the model on the table.
I like to vary my army selection quite a bit, so I also have the option of swapping out to a power claw scorpion exarch, (he has not yet earned a name for himself). For the secondary exarch options I tend to use the loincloth with the rune painted on. It depends on the model for me to decide if I'll drape it over the arm or off a weapon (or use it as a straight loin-cloth), but I think it looks best draped over the arm for the close assault units as it keeps that samurai feel (I don't know if anyone else is familiar with those old Kirasawa movies but sometimes you'd see a swordfighter who keeps one arm free of his sleeve, flinging the cloth away when it's time for him to get his kill on.
I hope people enjoy this thread and maybe get some ideas for things they'd like to do when converting their own force.
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