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That city of corruption. That bleeding, rotten heart of the Empire. This is where our tale is woven, for shadows roam both in and out its walls, down its byzantine streets and through the forests beyond. Shadows cloak nefarious wizards and wicked beasts. Hide prying eyes and greedy souls.

This is Altdorf.









Overview:

Returning to the hobby after living abroad for 5 years I find it's Fantasy drawing me in rather than continuing with my 40k. Maybe I'm looking for something new, maybe it's because my only lifeline to the hobby had been a Warhammer Quest App I adored (70+ hours in hardcore), or maybe it's fulfilling that childhood dream every time I would read a Warhammer Fantasy article in White Dwarf and wonder how things would have unfolded if I had received the box with Knights and Lizards rather than the box with Space Men and Space Orcs.

All I know is it feels fresh and exciting. I'm inspired and I hope this thread inspires others in the same way.

Goals:

To create the hobby collection I've always dreamed of. Fully painted armies fighting amidst beautiful scenery. I want to learn how to paint well and take my time with each miniature. It does not matter to me fielding large armies, I grew up with Necromunda and know well you only need 10 models a side to have hours of fun. In fact I'm looking forward to the skirmish battles as much as any pitched battle.

Targets:

- Collect and paint a small Empire Altdorf army. (Likely just a battalion with a few extras.)

- Paint my Battle For a Skull Pass set. (Plus add some extras to make both armies equal my Altdorf army in size)

- Make a 4ft x 4ft battle board

- Collect scenery to populate the board

Stretch Target:

- Collect and paint a small Skeleton themed Vampire Counts army. (Again the same size as my Altdorf army)

Ongoing Target:

- Collect and paint any miscellaneous miniatures I want for fun and for skirmish scenarios.

Deadline:

A year and a day. Let's see how far I can get before October 22nd 2015

Thank you for reading!



WIP #001

Here's a WIP picture of my Bright Wizard, Otto Cindermark: this is was the first time I've ever painted a model in separate pieces. No cutting corners this time around :p

Great start - try smaller pics though.

What's next?

Thanks! I'm on an iPad so it's hard for me to format everything or tell how it looks on a PC. I'll swap the pics for smaller ones soon, thanks for the heads up. Edit: Pictures fixed

I'd like to play some games as soon as possible, I'm currently working on a Grey Wizard and some Night Goblins. I'm looking to purchase a box of Empire State Troopers next week too and once these are all painted up I'll put together some skirmish games and have some fun

Post #001

Otto Cindermark



Before his death at the 'Battle of Bogenhafen' with the rest of the Altdorf XIIIth, Otto Cindermark led a varied and some might say questionable life.

The bright wizard spent his younger years in the company of vagabonds, exploring forgotten tombs and dungeons in search of coin. He was later outlawed for the believed involvement in the 'Great Fire of Nuln' which almost resulted in a catastrophic explosion had the fires not been tamed before reaching the great engine houses.

His name was however cleared and in spectacular fashion for a general in the Altdorf standing army (named Hellfritzsch Kempe) declared him innocent and simultaneously appointed him as a Battle Wizard to serve in his personal retinue shortly before the events that would lead up to the 'Battle of Bogenhafen' began.







The main objectives I had with this model were:

- To paint it as close to the 'Eavy Metal studio paint job as possible.

- To paint a model using the base+wash+2 highlight method.

I'm very pleased with the way he turned out. My best painted miniature to date as I had never followed the base+wash+2 highlight method before because buying 3 paints for every single colour had always seemed like a horrendous waste if money haha.

But the improvement in quality is definitely there so I will be sticking to this method now. (I used to paint miniatures: base+black wash+1 highlight (if I was feeling generous))

It might seem boring building and painting him exactly as he appears on the box, but I am the sort to always come up with some wacky and unique pose and paint job and this time it's nice to follow one instead. The Bright Wizard was one of my favorites in Warhammer Quest so it's nice to have him recreated for the table top!

(Sorry about the bad lighting on the pics. It's something I will aim to remedy for future posts.)

Wow excellent start!
Nice to see fantasy stuff!

Looking forward to seeing some more stuff (kniiiights lol)

I have finished the first 4 swordsmen in Altdorf colours. There was a lot of trial and error with the colours so hopefully the next batch can be done a little quicker. Here are some pictures:






I couldn't resist spicing up my champion with parts from other kits. It did mean getting the miniatures to line up was difficult but I have managed to get them to fit flush.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

More fantasy stuff! Yay! Great painting. Looking forward to seeing more.

I've been busy painting recently and really enjoying it. I'm trying to polish my procedure and thought my flesh tones and reds came out better this time.





I also managed to finish off a first batch of Night Goblins. These are painted much more quickly than my Empire. I used really bold highlights that don't look good close up but look good from far away.



Another batch of these and I'll be ready to play my first skirmish games. I can't wait!

Speaking of skirmish games, I painted up some counters for later use in such games as objectives or tokens.



The two goblin counters are from BFSP. One of the things I love about that set is all these extras they give you. For the Empire counter the chest comes from the Empire Great Cannon set.

Now that I have a little collection of fully painted miniatures, I had fun arranging them in scenes :p




Lastly these have been my bedtime reads:



The Empire Army book is beautifully presented. I've really enjoyed flicking through it. I wish there was more fluff on things like the cities and towns as well as the constitution of some actual armies instead of focusing soley on the history and the special characters (SC have never interested me.) but it's great all the same.

For the Rulebook I picked it up for under £10 on eBay! I'm going to have to play some practice battles against myself soon and then take my army over to the local GW for my first real game. Can't wait!

Cool minis and a very enjoyable presentation! I'm subbed

A little while since I last posted, but I have been BUSY! First, I've started playing Warhammer games! I have a 1250pt army and I have been playing on Friday nights at my local GW.

It's been great fun!

Second, I've been doing lots of painting. And although painting this entire Swordsmen regiment has been a mammoth undertaking for me, I am so happy with the finished result!

Here is a Swordsmen regiment from the Altdorf XIIIth.

Empire Swordsmen Regiment x 20


Here is the command unit, 2 of which I have posted before. The champion is a kitbash using some Knights of the White Wolf parts and the Standard Bearer features freehand on the banner.

Empire Swordsmen Command


I spent a lot of time on every individual model in the unit and I definitely think I improved through the process. Here are two of my favorites. One with stubble and a freehand design on the shield, the second a kitbash with one of the Handgunners' arm pieces.

Empire Swordsmen


Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading


A regiment of swordsmen from the Altdorf XIIIth advance past an isolated watchtower deep in the forests around Altdorf.

Nice and bright

Great work on the banner and shields!

The whole unit looks fantastic, you can tell lots of care went into getting them looking good.

Thank you for the kind words, both of you If you have any more constructive criticism please say. I think the main thing I need to work on is making my painting a little neater. Although I am giving very large close-ups on here and I have to say they look better in real life



Wolmar Held - Captain and Battle Standard Bearer of the Altdorf XIIIth

One of the most pivotal battles in the history of the Altdorf XIIIth was fought on the banks of the river Reik, a mere three months before the regiment was killed to the last man at the 'Battle of Bogenhafen'.

That battle upon the banks of the Reik was almost as devastating. Faced with hordes of Undeath the Altdorf XIIIth looked soon to be defeated. Even more so after their general was slain in combat by the enemy Wight Lord. As ripples of doubt washed over the men of the Altdorf XIIIth and their lines looked set to break, Wolmar Held took charge and ran headlong to avenge his fallen general. He slew the Wight Lord in single combat and raised its corpse on a spear as a new banner to rally the troops under.

The lines held long enough for the Grey Wizard, Gruselig Altgiest, to cast a powerful banishment spell (which in itself is a tale for another time) that saw undo the undead hordes.

In the aftermath of that battle, Wolmar Held became the backbone of the Altdorf XIIIth (who had taken to calling themselves "Morr's Gamble"). It was his influence that kept the men from sticking a knife in the back of their newly appointed, and untested, general; the son of a lording named Hellfritzsch Kempe.





Here is how I usually field the regiment, with Otto Cindermark and Wolmar Held at either side. The thing I am most proud of is that they all fit flush! (no easy feat). And as these photos have better light (but still not great, I have no light-box and so have to improvise) here is a photo of my Bright Wizard, Otto, in better lighting so you can see truer to his real colour.

Gruselig Altgiest - Grey Wizard

Most wizards are distrusted by the men of the empire and it was no different for Gruselig Altgiest in the Altdorf XIIIth. Old and frail in appearance most had judged him useless, a wizard whose power was all but spent. This notion changed with the battle on banks of the Reik

Gruselig Altgiest saved the regiment that day from the brink extinction by casting a banishment spell far beyond his power... Or perhaps he had been lying all along? For from that moment Gruselig shyed away from the new found attention the soldiers gave him. He became more reclusive and paranoid than ever before often choosing to remain out of sight from all cloaked in shadows.

Some say (albeit heretical scholars now dead) that at the Battle for Bogenhafen later, reinforcements had been riding through the streets of the capital ready to come to their aid. However someone from within the Grey Tower had ordered their halt, perhaps fearing Gruselig's power, and thus no salvation was to come and the Altdorf XIIIth were left to their fate, there in Bogenhafen, killed to the very last man.

I'm absolutely loving the crisp, bold highlights that you've done. The bits of fluff are a lot of fun, too. That's what the game is all about, IMO.

 youidiotkid wrote:
I'm absolutely loving the crisp, bold highlights that you've done. The bits of fluff are a lot of fun, too. That's what the game is all about, IMO.

Thank you I have quite a few more Night Goblins painted now and another big batch in the works. I'll try to post them up when they're finished as you are also collecting Night Gobbos

Empire Outriders venture forth from the gates of an Imperial town

The Altdorf XIIIth- Outriders

Led by Mutig von Reiter, the outriders of the XIIIth were often in the field for days on scouting missions. During the Battle for Bogenhafen they attempted to breakthrough the enemy lines to bring word to the capital, but they ultimately failed.







My first time painting horses, so it was a learning experience! I thought they came out nicely though. This unit are one of the most fun units I have in my army, and one of the few I use in every single game without a doubt.

Great looking army. As a less accomplished Altdorf player myself, I appreciate the look.

Have you kept up with any of the End Times? Altdorf factors in a huge way in the Glotkin book.

I'm currently banging out 50 halberdiers and 20 crossbowmen in Altdorf regalia. Much more batch painting than yours to get it done for a big battle sometime in April.

Gorgeous work. I look forward to seeing more. I hope you have caught the bug and I can see more than just a battalion box.

Glad you have a story for yours. My halberdiers are the "Second Besters". They are the rejects from the yellow plumed Company of Honour.

This all looks great, especially the horses on the Outriders!

Wow, looks good! That banner...

Any tips for painting Horses? I have 10 Knights and 5 Marauder Horsemen that I want to do. The only thing is that I haven't pained a horse (ever), so I'm a little aprehensive about it.

Great looking army, very well-thought-out fluff as well!
Will definitely have to follow this blog!

Looking forward to more detail about the Battle of Boghafen. Great horses as well.

The new Outriders look great! You did a fantastic job of bringing out the horses' muscle tone. My only criticism would be the musician's bugle. The flat bit on the bottom of the horn could benefit from either being drilled/scooped out or painted black, but that's just a barely noticeable detail.

 moonpie wrote:
Great looking army. As a less accomplished Altdorf player myself, I appreciate the look.

Have you kept up with any of the End Times? Altdorf factors in a huge way in the Glotkin book.

I'm currently banging out 50 halberdiers and 20 crossbowmen in Altdorf regalia. Much more batch painting than yours to get it done for a big battle sometime in April.

Gorgeous work. I look forward to seeing more. I hope you have caught the bug and I can see more than just a battalion box.

Glad you have a story for yours. My halberdiers are the "Second Besters". They are the rejects from the yellow plumed Company of Honour.

Thanks!

I don't read the end times fluff as special characters aren't something that interest me. However I follow the plot loosely and understand Altdorf got completely destroyed? (Well now all of the world is destroyed right? Haha)

Doesn't bother me as all my men were long dead before the end times even began :p

I checked out your blog and I love the militia. I will take a closer look soon and post some comments when I can. I hope to see more of your Empire army there

I most definitely got bit by the bug. I bought a lot more than just a battalion and I plan to get a lot more too. I'm actually doing my own take on the Company of Honour too.





Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Zambro wrote:
Wow, looks good! That banner...

Any tips for painting Horses? I have 10 Knights and 5 Marauder Horsemen that I want to do. The only thing is that I haven't pained a horse (ever), so I'm a little aprehensive about it.

Thanks!

It was my first time painting horses too and I was quite nervous about it!

My two biggest tips are to paint the horse eyes naturally and to use the GW medium to help blend the layers. I'll go into more detail and AI hope it helps.

Find some pictures of horses eyes and you'll see almost no iris shows. I paint horses eyes black with a tiny drop of white in one corner. I've seen some horses painted with human style eyes and it looks bizarre (and like the horse is gaking bricks haha).

For the skin, I studied pictures of natural horses and also made every horse slightly different to make them seem more natural as a group. I'll give the painting method I used for one to help give some idea.

Brown horse:
1. Base coat in GW Dryad Bark
2. Wash in GW brown wash (mine was the old Devlan Mud)
3. Paint all raised areas in GW Mournfang Brown
4. Highlight muscle tone with GW Steel Legion Drab

- at this point the contrast will be too strong from the darks to lights, so this next step is the most important -

5. Mix GW Mournfang Brown with GW medium to create a glaze. Wash the skin in it.

- this will brighten the darks and dull the lights, essentially bringing all the tones together -

6. Do a fine highlight in GW Steel Legion Drab.

I hope that helps!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

@minizke, @llamahead

I'm glad some of you like the fluff! I thought it would be fun to slowly reveal the army's demise through the stores of each of the characters as I paint them.

@Paradigm Thanks!

 youidiotkid wrote:
The new Outriders look great! You did a fantastic job of bringing out the horses' muscle tone. My only criticism would be the musician's bugle. The flat bit on the bottom of the horn could benefit from either being drilled/scooped out or painted black, but that's just a barely noticeable detail.

Yes, I agree! At first the bugle was painted with a black centre, but I found it so distracting it actually detracted from the model so I gave up and painted it gold again. I would like to hollow it out but it's a process I will need to learn.

Lovely painting. I like the thematic photos too. I hope to see more soon!

Amazingly painted army in this thread. Held Wolmar is simply my great favorite - awesome rendition of painting. Really beautiful stuff here ... We look forward to your next examples.