2016 Armies on Parade: Wood Elves

Mission Accomplished!

This was my entry for the GW Armies on Parade held last 15th October 2016: The Floating Wood Elves Forest. Below are more pictures of my diorama, courtesy of Marvin Kho, Joseph Looi and the Legio Malaysia Facebook page.

By the way, I would most probably think that my future updates will be like this; end results. Any WIP posts will be considered as a bonus. So, the target for November will be Bandai's GBWC Malaysia 2016 for Gundam.

Revisiting the Past 2+ Years

Somebody once said, one should not dwell on the past.

With that in mind, I'll try to keep this short.

(Honestly, I also can't recall everything, only certain parts.)

end 2013

Only 3 participants completed the Legio Malaysia Army Throwdown II; myself (Tzeentch Warriors), Patrick (High Elves) and Stephane (Dark Elves). Patrick got the Purity Seal. (sorry, can't locate the pictures)

2014

If I recalled this correctly, this is the year that the Wood Elves army book was finally updated after 10+ years. I painted this Treeman for Golden Kris 2014 and received the People's Choice Award (I'm probably remembering this because of the award).

picture courtesy of the Legio Malaysia Facebook page

Then, comes the End Times. It was fun times, just like the old glory days of WFB. Suddenly, the whole WFB universe (and game) was decimated and a simpleton version of it was introduced. I'd be lying if I were to say I'm not pissed about it. Simply said, my friends and I moved on to the X-wing miniatures game. We came, we saw, we conquered; that's pretty much that I can say about X-wing.

Earlier in the year, we also tried Infinity. The models are awesome, the rulebook is free, the gameplay is easy. What turned our gaming group off was (most likely) the advanced rules, it was too complicated for book keeping. Hence, my Santiago Military Order of Panoceania is now somewhere in the storage trays, along with my Wood Elves and Warriors of Chaos.

2014 was also the year that a few friends and I spent hours in the beta version of the 7 Days to Die game. Basically, it's a post-apocalyptic zombie survival game with Minecraft and Fallout elements added in. With the right crew, this is an awesome game, highly recommended. And with Arzmi in the crew, you can definitely say you're safe.

2015

This is more recent, but surprisingly, I remember less than 2014. It's mostly X-wing and Armada. Those games got me so hyped for Star Wars Episode 7, and the movie turned out to be a letdown. Maybe I was expecting too much, but Kylo Ren should've kept his mask on until the 'Han moment', the storyline should be less of a 'copy & paste' and really, another Death Star?

But, 2015 will always be the year that Nahri left; he migrated to New Zealand for good. Wish him all the best.

I stopped playing WH40K in 2015. New codices, formations, rules and kits were released like a freight Shinkansen train every month (on some releases, every week). I was having difficulty to keep up with the various rules and at the same time, the price shot up through the roof due to currency collapse (thanks a lot 1MDB), which made me decide to put the game on hold. It has been a hiatus since, and I'm yet to be interested to play the game again. Like Infinity and WFB, my WH40K armies are in some storage trays somewhere in the house. Like Azlan said recently, my Eldar are lost in the Warp.

Hmm, I just recalled returning to Circle Orboros in mid 2015. Yes, Warmahordes, a game I last played (and sold off) in 2006/7 with Steven & Kai back in Jakarta. During my Orboros hype period, I painted these dudes. Shortly after that, the rut returned.

early 2016

Not much happened, it was mostly still X-wing and Armada for me. On the hobby front, it was an absolute zero for the first quarter. One day, Khairul suggested Gundam to us all. Shortly after that, it snowballed.

We went for weekly visits to the 'Golden Triangle of Gundam' in KL. We also explored various Gundam shops in the Klang Valley. Ivan, Yip and Arzmi now probably owns 10+ boxes (probably 20+) of unassembled Gundam kits. Ivan has also changed for the better and assembled his stuff instead of simply buying, with panel-lining applied. And, this was my entry for Litt Tak's Mid-Year Expo.

GAT X303 Aegis

Yes, I'm doing mecha modelling right now. I'm really enjoying it. Up next on my schedule are two big events, one at the end of August by the local Gundam community and the other in October/November by Bandai. Let's do this!

Side note: I may need to clean up my blog roll and sidebar.

Foreststriders, Part 2

In Part 1, I've painted five Asrai that were meant to be part of a 20-strong regiment. If you recalled, I've painted another ten in the last three weeks. While basing them, I've succumbed to the temptation of finishing the other two that were 50% painted. Here are the latest twelve elves spotted in the forest, and as of today, the current number is 17 of 20.

I promised an update on a particular Caster Warrior a few weeks (months) back. A fellow hobbyist suggested for a worn metal look for the shoulder pad linings, thus the sephia-washed grey. I think it worked. Here's the (not so good) picture.

My next post, the first one in 2013, will be a summary of my hobby activities in 2012. There were some memorable stuff that I'm proud of but overall, it was nothing too special. Once in a while, looking back and reviewing yourself can be a good thing. See you next year ;)

Returning Home Soon

My outstation duty was completed a day earlier, and I'm returning home today later in the evening. Due to unstable power source, I was unable to re-complete the Dungeon Siege 2 as originally planned. Luckily, I brought these along for something to work upon at night.

From all of the above, only ten were managed to be fully painted within this past 17 nights. Can't wait to base them when I reach home. See you guys later, ok!

Foreststriders, Part 1

Finally, some progress that I can be proud of.

The basic colours for these five Glade Guards were painted on quite some time ago, but I have never truly considered them finished. So, in the last two nights, I've added the highlights, did some detail works, and also gave them proper grass basing.

If I remembered correctly, these elves were originally meant to be a part from a 21-strong archer squad. However, looking at the limited time frame, I will be more than happy if I completed 10 models.

That's all for now, folks. Stay tune for more.

Back to the Woods

I've promised to put up a picture of the washed Stuka. However, instead of washing I ended up glazing it instead with the new glaze paints from GW. Since it has yet to properly dry, I'll put the Stuka picture in my next post. In its place, I've finally finished this Asrai Lord instead.

Yes, I'm back with my Wood Elves. Due to my current work schedule, I am foreseeing myself not being able to hobby much during weekdays. That leaves me with the 'limited' weekends, and I've decided to focus on finishing my suspended projects, starting with the armies I'm really passionate of. This will the first of a long list of Wood Elves models to come. I might do a break once in a while with either Eldar, Nurgle or WoC stuff, but Wood Elves will be the main theme until year end.

Dark Vengeance has recently been released, and thanks to some friends, I had the chance to have a look on the sprue. The quality of the push-fit models are really nice and the sculpting is awesome, but it still doesn't nudge me to acquire them. Buying the box just for the models ain't really a good reason since I still have heaps of models that are yet to be painted.

P/S: It turns out that the inner lens of my camera was foggy due to the local hot and humid temperature. One of the recommendations given was to store it in a completely dry place, and not to keep it in an air-conditioned room. Many of you may have probably known this, but I'll share it anyway.

Island of Fire : Path of the Star

 “For an Asrai to walk into fire, nothing but doom awaits. Island of Fire, a name fitting for the mysterious burning island, a place thought to be even more mythical than the spirits of Athel Loren. It was long told that on every undisclosed period of time, the island will magically summon various warbands from all over the world against their will. Brace yourselves o'kinsmen, for the dreaded time is foreseen to arrive soon. There’s only one manner for you to return home, the most basic general rule of all; Survival of the Fittest.” - Spellsinger Aerith Brightwood

***

The young and rash Gilrhath Whipvine was always the unlucky one. The first to hunt, yet the last for feast; the first for inception, yet the last for reception. This time, his patrol was sucked into a magical vortex as he was patrolling the borders of Athel Loren. As he arrived, Aerith’s recent teachings came to mind; this would probably the Island of Fire. It appeared that the vortex has brought some of the ever-present Forest Spirits and the lost Minaith elves too. The denizens of Athel Loren are well-known for their fearless and no mercy attitude, but the ghastly sight of surrounding tree-less inferno brought fear to their eyes. One by one, several other vortices materialized on the island. The closest warbands to Gilrhath’s patrol was the Lizardmen of Lustria and the non-living Lahmians. As the Asrai silently trudging to avoid the nasty savage warbands, a psychic explosion boomed, deafened their senses, and subsequently, the consciousness faded away.

Gilrhath slowly picked himself up, with a throbbing pain at the back of his skull. This is the first time he experienced this sensation, and to his surprise, even the forest spirits felt them too. Helping his kinsmen to their feet, whilst trying to sober himself, four words nagged annoyingly in his mind: Fight or Die, Now! The nearby Lustrians and Lahmians seemed to be affected too. Seizing the chance, the young elf led his kinsmen away to safety; with the hope of the warbands annihilating themselves, and for them to strike against the final survivor when they least expected.

Their getaway brought them into contact with a familiar face, the famous Paladin Piotr and the horse-riders. His gracious deeds in supporting Aerith during the Battle of Fortenhaf were sung in harmony throughout the forest back home. To have an ally in such a dread place of this was very valuable. But the realisation came late. Swallowed either by madness or desperation to survive, the Brettonians charged without warning. Gilrhath and his Glade Guards were caught unprepared by the unexpected turn of event. Doom was imminent, but the ever-ready forest spirits blocked the charge which allowed the Minaith elves to unleash their lethal shots and allowed the elves a swift escape from oblivion.

Relief and confusion were mixed altogether. Realising that the danger was real, the only way for them to survive was to come out on top. Gathering all knowledge and experience that each of them had, a list of plans were mapped out. The first plan was assassination, and the first victim was the keigh-mons of Sigmar. The Minaith elves went way beyond enemy lines, while the rest of the Kindred shall move forward utilising the terrains and cover. Suffice to say, the plan worked to an almost perfection. The Empire engineer wasn’t successfully assassinated, but was demoralized just enough to send their warband into disarray.

The second plan was seizing grounds, and the victim was one of their most hated adversaries, the Druuchi. The Minaith elves and Gilrhath himself went into enemy territory separately and caused chaos. Whatever that survived the hail of doom arrows, were met with another hail of arrow from the Glade Guards. Since the enemies were Druuchi, the Asrai were merciless, and were shot down into pieces.

The third plan was capture and control, and another nemesis was the victim, the Bearded Stunties. The Kindred was a bit caught off guard as the Dwarves were more agile than usual. Agility does not necessarily means speed and the Kindred led the Dwarves around aimlessly. Again, the Dwarves surprised them when one of their regiments managed to pursue the bowmen. Despite it being a much mobilized skirmish, the elves won the match as their nimbleness proved too much for their foes.

Slowly but surely, the Kindred was approaching salvation. The next foe was seemed pre-destined to be the Asur. Feeling the frustration of abandonment swelling from within, Gilrhath unleashed a malicious barrage of arrows, annihilating an entire Asur bowmen regiment in one shot. They responded with two magical fireball volleys of their own, which massacred the forest spirits. Spiteful of the treachery of old, the remaining Asur was then sandwiched by cascading arrows from front and back. The warriors of Chrace were tough warriors, but even that wasn’t enough. After three salvos from the fore and rear, they were shred to pieces before they even manage to engage in close combat.

As soon as the last Asur fell to the ground, they were sucked again into the vortex. Floating in the maelstrom of ever-changing continuum, the only thing that came to Gilrhath’s mind was Athel Loren, wishing to see his green, luscious beautiful home one more time before his life was taken away. Then, everything was pitch black.

***

A stinging sensation over his left shoulder woke Gilrhath up. In a dreamy state, he discovered a burning disc marking inscribed to his skin. Afterwards, he noticed that he was in the infirmary, together with the surviving brethren from the Island of Fire. Apparently, all of them had the same marking on their left shoulders. Suddenly, he felt some eyes were watching. It was Aerith’s and Elendil’s, his mentors.

“Survive he did. Luck has finally befallen the unlucky one,” said Aerith, smiling.

Elendil then added, “He is an Arhain now. Our guidance is no more needed.”

Gilrhath, still holding on at the pain on his left shoulder, could only look quizzically at his mentors, “But...”

Aerith responded, “Young one no more, you are not.  Your Kindred, this is now, vindicated by the mark of the Chosen Ones. In Mordheim, destiny awaits.”

Both Aerith and Elendil then bowed at him in respect and simply left, leaving him behind in puzzlement.

Kindred Arhain of Athel Loren

Utilising the computer fan I bought a few months ago, the whole basing process was much faster than expected as it reduced the drying time between the layers of basing by half. I used the modelling flock and glade grass combination for my elves. So, here they are again, fully based and ready to raid the Northern Isle with hail of arrows.

Preparing for a Northern Conquest

Just finished painting all six of my Waywatchers tonight and since it's already way past midnight (local time), might as well put up a quick update. Despite the majority of my Kindred getting burnt and eaten by a single Salamander in the last Legio Hobby Night, the list is pretty much settled. All I need to do next are basing, and some minor touch-ups on the Dryads. Here's my 500pts list:

Wood Elf Hero, Scout Kindred, Hail of Doom Arrow, Enchanted Shield
10 Glade Guards with Musician
8 Dryads
6 Waywatchers

Nothing's special with the list, basically they'll just keep on shooting till their opponents disappear from sight. I'll post a better picture of my Kindred later after I've done the basing, probably within the next couple of days. Stay tune.

Rare Sightings

Having to caught a glimpse of not one, but two Wood Elves, is quite a rare occurrence in this part of the world. This is a 360 degrees picture of those said two.

Constructive comments are most welcomed. Basing will be done later for all the Glade Guards, and it'll definitely be 'grassy'. These below are what I'm working on at the moment.

An Asrai's Journey

If it wasn't because of next month's planned trip up north, I would still be painting my Minotaurs. Which means, the Asrai Kindred would have been still kept nicely in their storage boxes. I'm really grateful that Khairul asked me to join along for the trip actually, as it reminded me of something important.

The Wood Elves, my first ever army in miniature wargaming, is among my most treasured army in my collection. Yet, I've never given them the proper justice of actually completing their paintjobs. Worse, there's about 300+ points yet to be assembled. While carefully opening the box where I kept them, suddenly it dawned on me, this is my 10th anniversary in this hobby. Yes, I started this hobby back in 2002 during my college years.

The great thing of painting your own models, you'll remember all the things happening around the time period you've painted them, especially when you paint them individually instead of batch painting (which I frequently do lately). The above picture shows my progress as a hobbyist from 2002 up till 2011. Looking back at my old models, there's an urge to repaint them but the sentimental feelings that rose whenever I looked at them kept annulling that urge. Come to think of it, it probably was a good call. Looking back at each and every Asrai I've painted, they served as reminders for everything I've experienced in the last 10 years in this hobby; the learning curve of grasping the concept of painting, all the fun and laughters, the great people I've met and lost, the acquaintances I made, the wacky ideas I had and tried to materialize. It was all very precious.

Thus, I have firmly decided to bring them along in the trip next month to add to the pool of memories. Until then, I shall do whatever I can to paint them individually as much as possible. They've been neglected way too long. For the time being, the list below shall be my preliminary 500pts list. It may change though, depends on what I manage to paint in this 1 month.

Hero, Enchanted Shield, Hail of Doom Arrows

20 Glade Guard, Musician

12 Dryad

Fantasy, Full Force

It has been quite some time since I last posted here. The WoC army has only grown slightly, due to nil Chaos Marauders stock in Malaysia, and I have to wait for them to arrive. And guess what, at the same time, my Wood Elves army has made some progress too. I'll post pictures of them later.

I've just received my job schedule for the last quarter of 2010, and I already had some mixed feelings about it; mostly because of the 'projected' limited time for hobby. Taking that fact into consideration, I've decided to abandon any 40K project until December 31st, 2010. Why? So that I can spend that limited time and focus on my WFB army(ies).

Looks like this picture below would be the last 40K game I've played in 2010, against Rizal's spanking brand new Orkish Horde on Merdeka Day. From now on, it'll be exclusively WFB.

IRON PAINTER - 20th February 2010

Iron Painter was a huge success! (Thanks Jeff!) 10 participants showed up for the first Iron Painter here, and it sure was a fun long-grueling event. Everybody was so determined to complete the task, that none bothered to even go out for lunch. All of us just decided to stay at the event, surviving on the packets of nasi lemak that Subhan actually brought for breakfast, some biscuits, and drinks.

Anyway, here are some quick summary and pictures from the event.

0950: Only four participants present at the scene; me, Arzmi, Is, and of course, Jeff. We were given the freedom to choose our own hobbying spot, and set up our tables.

0955: Stanley and Subhan arrived. Five minutes to start was declared by Jeff.

0959: Alvin arrived just in the nick of time.

1000: The Iron Painter officially started. Only Jeff and Arzmi actually started on time as the rest of us were still busy unpacking and setting up.

1030: Shazli arrived late with his primed marines but surprisingly was still unassembled as he wanted to paint the areas where the bolter covered the body. Juan, who attempted the Adamantium Mantle, also arrived with his fresh boxes of marines. By this time, I already had completed my first layer of scorched brown on my Forest Spirits.

1200: I've completed the third layer for my army. Dann arrived, not competing in the Iron Painter, but instead joined us ust to paint his Nids. Redeye and some of his friends also came to watch the competition and have some dice-rolling action. Note: Noon marks the beginning of the Necron taunting by the Ultramarines.

 

 

1400: Four hours passed. Alvin and Shazli talked about hunger and lunch, but nobody budged from their seats. Khairul finally showed up, after deciding to have a quick game of golf in the morning. Jeff however, only got two models painted in and decides to just continue hobbying, as the Iron Painter seemed out of his grasps. Note: I've completed all five layers of my Forest Spirit, and started applying base colour on my Asrai Noble.

 

  

  

  

 

1500: Ivan, Legio's resident master sculptor, arrived to the scene with some needed beverages for the participants. Just like Dann, he joined the day for hobby but instead of painting, he sculpted his models. If there was an Iron Sculptor event, it would definitely be Ivan's hands down (and he's secretly hping for one). His conversions were absolutely amazing, and would look far better when he finally decides to paint his miniatures. Note: Painting leaves is a huge nuisance.

1800: The other participants are still vigorously painting, and doesn't seemed to be bothered about eating. As for me, I'm starting to feel hungry and hypoglycaemic. Hence the biscuits, cans of coffee, and bottles of Gatorade. That probably explained why I spent the next one and a half hours just to flock the bases. Anyway, the Necron taunting got more intense and then begins the living terrain joke. Khairul only managed to finish three Howling Banshees since the moment he arrived, decides to throw in the towel and just continue painting whatever he has left. He also declared, "No more Eldar for Iron Painter after this." Azlan dropped by and brought his kids along to show them what Iron Painter is all about. Note: Noticed Alvin and Shazli started to talk nonsense and Juan's cigarette break is getting more frequent by this time.

2100: One hour left. I got past the hunger, and just focused on painting my Asrai Noble, my last model. Subhan and Alvin both starting to have hand tremors and seeing doubles. While Arzmi just kept his cool and continued painting like nothing happened, it's just amazing to see him maintain his cool throughout the day. The same can't be said for Alvin as was actually talking to his orks. Such is the pressure of painting for 12 hours non-stop. Note: Forgotten 'washing' actually needs time to dry but fortunately Alvin's drying fan is just within arms reach.

2130: Subhan and Is were pushing themselves hard for Iron Skull is just a stone's throw. Most of the others has decided to stop at what they have, as we're all just too tired. Note: I'm still applying the final (rushed) highlights for my Noble.

2200: The Iron Painter officially ends. The successful painter arranged their miniatures on the appointed display table, and voting for the Hobbyists' Choice began.

 

Iqbal's Wood Elves

  

Subhan's Necron

  

Stanley's Word Bearers (Chaos Space Marine)

  

Iskazri's SCARS (Imperial Guard)

  

Arzmi's Evil Sunz (Orks)

  

Alvin's Orks

  

Shazli's Ultramarines (Space Marine)

 

Then, comes the good news. Seven hobbyist managed to get the Iron Painter award (70% completion), Subhan and Is both got their Iron Skull award, and my Forest Spirit army was voted the Hobbyist' Choice. Thanks a lot guys!

Dann said that I made a smart decision by painting a brightly coloured elf among densely packed terrain, I don't think that joke is going to end anytime soon.

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank some people here, as they played large roles in my success.

First massive thanks would go to the brothers, Khairul and Arzmi, as they were the ones that taught me of painting with airbrush.

Soo Jin, for teaching me the preshading technique that I applied to my Forest Spirits.

Jeff, Azlan, Kadir, and Dann for all the constructive comments given to me during Hobby Nights regarding my paintbrushing skills, you guys definitely made me a better painter.

Anyway, here are some close-ups of the miniatures I've painted during the event.

 

  

 

And of course, a close-up shot of my first ever Purity Seal.