Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Note : This thread repurposed and edited. Yay!

I will also be posting similar (but not identical) posts on my main modelling blog; The Machinae Factory (http://themachinaefactory.blogspot.com/) following this project, which I think is good.

I shall be making a post once every Saturday in this thread, sumarizing all of my work that week. I shall be making more incremental posts in my personal blog, but all the updates will be contained here. I shall only be hosting pictures of completed models in the gallery - but I shall be posting many pictures of WIP and uncompleted figures here.

Hope this is clear to everyone - basically, check here every Saturday for the complete update or, if you simply can't wait, check out my personal blog!

Darknight's 52 Model Challenge - Week Minus One : Statement of intent

Alright, so let's get this show on the road! I am going to paint some of my Empire Knightly Order Army. Now, I no longer play Warhammer (no opponents, and I only have the 6th Ed rules, and haven't rolled a dice in years). So, I am not painting this to an army list, but I will be building models which could easilly be fitted into any sort of army list. The original list I designed was knights ... and more knights .... and more knights ... and that was about it! It was very effective under 6th ed, I suspect it is less so now!

However, it would be dull for all of us for me to simply paint knight after knight after knight! So, I will be shaking it up a bit, and painting some "cool" and different models. I already have a unit of 20 Greatswords painted; pictures below (click on the images for a larger version).



I have also done a few Knights - nothing spectaular, they are basic Knights with white maltese crosses on their shields, done with black and white detailing. I've also painted a couple of wizardresses.

So, as for the background to this army - it is an Empire Knightly order devoted to the goddess Myrmidia. They took part in a crusade which liberated an island from the grip of Chaos. While there, they toppled eight chaos monoliths into the center of a sacred Chaos plaza, which made the shape of a Maltese Cross. Hence, the name of the Order is the Knights of the Eightfold Cross of Myrmidia. They made their home on this island (similar story to the Knights of Malta, no?)

Alas, chaos is not so easilly bested and a century after the first crusade the Ruinous Powers came back and smashed their way back onto the island and drove the knights off. The knights fled to Sylvania, vowing revenge. There they have allied with local peasantry and a few nobles who are fighting against the Undead menace - think the Order of the Dragon from the Dracula movies!

So, that is the theme - there are a core of uber-religious, crusader, templar-style Knights in Germanic armor, very disciplined. And then there is a group of superstitous, primitive peasantry in rag-tag equipment led by incredibly wealthy and dictatorial nobles. There is some overlap between styles - my Grand Master is called Vladimir Hunyadi, and has lots of cool dragon motifs on his armour.

So, that is the backstory - the Order wants to return to the island, the Sylvanians want to fight the undead, and so an alliance has been born.

Really, this is just an excuse for me to paint models based on my two favorite Catholic military orders; the Hospitaliers and the Order of the Dragon, actually!

What I am going to build / paint;

This is a "living list" - I will change it as my moods change. I have the pieces for most of these models, although if anyone has any of the old Soldiers of the Empire shield sprues (the ones with four shields you glue the emblems on to that come with three sets of four emblems) or even just the Maltese Crosses from those sprues spare, PM me! I don't much fancy paying $4 for each sprue from GW!

I am counting some models as "half a model to paint" because I have already started them.

* Empire Templar Grand Master on horseback : 1 model (this model has been built, primed and some very basic metallics on, but it is such a large and impressive model I am counting it as a whole one!)
* 4 x Ogre Mercenaries with 2-handed weapons : 3 1/2 models (one has the armour and skin done, which is pretty much there all is to an Ogre!)
* Complete 5 x partially painted converted pistoliers : 2 1/2 models
* 10 x Heavy Armored Crossbowmen : 10 models
* 8 x "Dragon Knights" (Commoner knights with Byzantine-inspired armor, led by a hero in very stylish, dragon-esque armor) : 8 models
* 8 x College Knights (Knights each styled after a single College of Magic) : 8 models
* 1 hero to lead the College Knights : 1 model
* 1 Wizardress on a little dinky dragon : 1 model
* 7 x "normal" Knights to build out the units : 7 models
* A unit of foot-troops, designed to evoke the imagery of "angry mob with torches and pitchforks". This will consist of 14 models (9 new models I haven't painted, two models which are partially painted and count as one model to paint, and three non-GW models which I am not counting as part of the total) : Counts as 10 models to paint

Total : 52 models

So, comments, thoughts?

okie...i think this is the place ^^ i was thinking about doing either tyranids or imperial guard. but which? imperial guard are nice and fun to paint, but i would really like to get my 'nids done. so...i might be trying 2 models a week until i either A) run out of models, or B) run out of willpower.
sadly i find tyranids cant have such good fluff as imperial guard. ahh well

If you are going to go for two models a week, then you could do one Guardsman and one 'Nid. Painting both armies at the same time would give you a break, and also allow you to make these two armies fit together (like they were fighting each other or something).

jebus hes a genius!!! iloves you!!
and then i could write fluff aswell!!!
eep!!

Week Zero : Some modelling done

Okay, so the challenge officially starts tomorrow - but here I have done some conversions. Picture below (click for a larger image);



This is the unit of "angry mob with torches and pitchforks" although there are no pitchforks and only one torch! Still, there is a kind of "Uberwald Peasant" look about them, no?

More information on how I have converted stuff can be found on my blog, specifically in this post;

http://themachinaefactory.blogspot.com/2009/08/no-painting-so-far.html

Comments gratefully received!

Week One : First One and a half models painted!

Actually, I have done two and a half models - but I have only photographed one and a half.

As those of you following my blog will have seen, I have done a fair bit of work on the models for the "angry mob" but have only completed some of them. Below is this week's completed stuff; two models (one of which was already half-painted, and so counts as half a model).



Like I say, I have completed an additional model, but haven't photographed it. Still, this means I am a week and a half ahead of myself!