+ inload: Eldar Prince +

+ inload: Cadarn, Autarch of An-Angau +

+ This is an old conversion I've dug out to lead my forces in the upcoming big linked battle we'll be playing in May. I think I've shown him on the blog before, but since he's imminently going to be receiving some paint, I thought I'd throw him up again. +

+ A relatively involved – if easy – conversion, the main difficulty was joining the legs to the torso. The legs are from the clampack Chaos sorceror, and I added a sash (I'm afraid I have no idea where it came from!) as a spacer between the waist and the Dire Avenger exarch body. This gave him a more imposing presence, and added some height. As everyone knows, importance in 40k is directly linked to both your hat's fanciness, and your physical height. +

+ The rest of the conversion is just a kitbash – the head and shoulder blade thingie from the Dark Elf fleetmaster, and the arms and banners from the Dire Avenger sprue. +

+ inload: Iyanden +

+ inload: Return to Iyanden +

WIP Wind Rider

+ Descending to the Opprobium Vault on Pudor Armarium, PCRC members often find things lurking in the drifting fields of abandoned space-junk (i.e. piles of sprues and shamefully shelved old projects). One that has lurked in my cupboard for a while is my Iyanden Eldar, and with the prospect of a big game coming up, I've had a great excuse to dig them out. +

+ Warning! Uncensored photos of a very messy painting bureau ahead! +

Twelve Wind Riders... and a mysterious thirteenth canopy, (No idea where that came from!)

+ Boring old batch-painting on these. Not a process I enjoy, but pretty much the only way I'm able to keep the colours vaguely consistent. Looking forward to some freehand work on the canopies, though. +

Lots of Dire Avengers, luckily bought before the recent downsizing of the box from ten to five models.

+ I think of Exarchs as a mix of a religious cult leader, political extremists and martial art teachers. As a result of their inability to break from the path of warfare, they occupy a peculiar position of respect and revulsion in Eldar society. That individuality and personality is a little at odds with the ethos of Craftworld eldar (though it has its own important niche within the culture), and so I want to try to show that in the models. The best way I can think of doing this is to give them their own preferred heraldry. Perhaps some ultra-conservative Exarchs practise styles as close to Asurman's teachings as possible, wearing and teaching the use of equipment only if its use can be traced back; while others adopt a more pragmatic or egocentric approach, skirting close to a personality cult. Doubtless the personality of the Exarch would be affected by his semi-symbiotic suit, and I want to show that. +

+ As a result, each Shrine is going to have a slightly different painting scheme based on the Exarch's personality and preferences. They'll all use the same colours, but in different combinations. A nice change from the hard uniform of my Imperial armies. +

+ inload: Dire Avengers +

+ inload: While You Were Sleeping +

+ Astropathic communications have been disrupted recently, but I hope you'll forgive the quiet here on Death of a Rubricist: since I last inloaded, I'm pleased to announce I've married the girl of my dreams and have been away on honeymoon in exotic Hawaii! +

+ Now I'm back, I'll be getting back to the serious business of toy soldiers. I thought I'd kick off with my Eldar, who'll be getting a breath of fresh air for the PCRC's latest campaign, which I discussed a few weeks back. + ref inload 117 Mysterious Craftworlds of Gold + +

+ While the campaign itself will be a bit more freeform (and keep an eye out for some Inquisitorial and Chaotic figures from me in the future), we're kicking off with an inversion of our usual approach. Rather than building up new armies and having a big game at the end of the year, this time we're kicking off with a big linked game across a number of boards; to show how An-Angau got depopulated in the first place. We'll then explore the drifting hulk of the craftworld throughout the year. +

+ Anyway; my Eldar occupy a strange position for me. I'm very proud of some of the models, but others are very rushed or unfinished. The Dire Avengers are some that I'm happy with, and they'll be forming the first line of defence in my part of the battle. 

+ The Dire Avenger models are a nice kit, if a little under-equipped. I would have liked to see more variety in the poses and some different head and arm options. That said, they're very easily altered and adapted. The following pictures show what can be achieved with some simple conversion work and kitbashing. +

+ The pointing arm here is from the Exarch. I simply trimmed away the shuriken weapon (catapult? pistol?)on top using a craft knife. +

 + The Dark Eldar range shares many of the same fittings as the Eldar range, so they're easily used for kitbashing. Here I used a Scourge head. Note also that I've cut and reglued the shoulder scope thingies on the Avengers, so that the scope follows the same direction as the head. The Eldar are supposed to have psychically-linked advanced technology, and little bits like this really help strengthen the pose. +

+ Some simple trimming and reposing here put the Avenger into a slightly more dynamic pose. More subtle work like this helps to 'blend' the standard static pose with the very dynamic poses I used elsewhere in the unit. This, along with the uniform, helps the group work together convincingly. +

+ An example of the more dynamic poses I've added. Eldar are supposed to be agile and graceful creatures, so some Scourge legs (trimmed to round off the toes and remove studs and spike) seemed a nice way to suggest this. +

+ Some more standard Dire Avengers. Note the scopes following the gazes, and the slight reposing in the legs on the left-most one. These were a simple case of trimming and hot water reposing. +

+ The remaining members, including the Exarch. +