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Hi all,

Took about a month off to recharge the hobbyist batteries. The Knights of the Flaming Cheddar project is at a point where I want to move onto something else for a wee bit. I found a fun diversion that wont take much time

Many years ago I put together an Exodite army based in models from WFB Wood Elves.
Here are some pics: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/216804.page

I used this army at Baltimore GT 2008 and it hadn't been out of the case until last week when a friend and I played a game. I had just picked up the new eldar and thought why not break out the ol' Exodites. Time was good for the vast majority of the army, however, two models need repair.

The Treelord's top branch fell off.


The Shining Rider fell off his stand and lost an arm.


Treeguard are currently on 25mm bases, but I will switch them to 40mm bases. This will make them a bit taller to match the new Wraithguard.



I had eight Glade Riders left over from my original battalion box from about six years ago. So I decided to make two small units of "Jetbike Riders".

The bases are the same size of small flying bases. I may run into an issue because I have models that count as jetbikes mounted on 60mm bases and on 30mm-ish bases.

Twin-linked shuriken catapults will be on the other bikes.

They are from some old Dark Eldar models I know longer use and they match the catapults from the Shining Riders.

A couple of days ago I picked the new Iyanden supplement for the iPad. I've been wanting try the format, but I have a hard time justifying the cost (same as hardcover). This time GW decided to discount the electronic version so I thought it was a good time to try. The supplement is good so far. The new rules are all of about three pages, but there are some new scenarios and a lot of background. Overall, I like the electronic version, but not as much as I like the hardcover version. Books don't need to recharge and if it gets stolen than I'll only be out about $50 as opposed to .... much, much more.

I think I'm going to go with Iyanden rules and make a "Wraith" army. All units will be trees of some sort. Wood Elf Spiritsingers will be Spiritseers, Dryads will be wraithguard or blades, Ents (from LotR) will be Wraithlords, and some kindling from outside will be Wraithknights. I already have two ents. I would need two boxes of dryads (already have 40mm bases). I have one Spiritseer finished and have another ready to go. And finally, I'm not paying that much for a Wraithknight.

Here are some WIPs of the Spiritseer with WIP witchstaff:



I will finish the riders, repair the broken models, put existing treeguard on 40mm bases, and than move onto new stuff.

Thanks and take care

Hi all,

I haven't forgotten this project, just had A LOT of real-life stuff keeping me from working on toy soldiers


The witchstaff is coming along. I need to clean up the pin which attaches the staff to hand. The bottom of the staff needs a bit of something to help balance it.



I added a rider and some greenstuff straps. Because the paint scheme hides many flaws I won't spend much time creating the best possible conversions. Mostly just enough of a conversion to get the basic shape.

Rider with Shuriken catapaults. Nothing much going on here.


It looks like scatter lasers are the way to go for Wraithlords. I only have one so it's time to make a few more. It started with covering the original in talcum powder. Once the putty cured I cut the mould into two pieces. It's not perfect, but will be fine for this project.


New pieces after removal from mould.


Pieces mostly cleaned.


A comparison photo of original and copy. The copy needs a bit of work. I don't need perfection, but I need it to look better than that.

I will make one more scatter laser. If the army list evolves into a Iyanden variant I will make two more for a possible Wraithknight.

Future work includes assembling a second squad of riders, repairing broken models, and updating Wraithguard bases.

Thanks and take care

Hi, all!

Moving at a better pace

Riders are based and flocked and ready for black spray primer.
Gravel on bases.


Static grass.

Static grass - closer view


Spirtseer with gravel and new bit for bottom of staff.

Spiritseer with static grass.


I put the treeguard on 40mm bases. I used a bit of spackle to build up the bases.



Treeguard with gravel and static grass




Weather in Metro NYC has been very hot and is allegedly going to very humid the next few days so priming the Riders and Spiritseer will have to wait
I'll use brush-on primer for the Treeguard.

Thanks and take care

Good job. What model did you use for the spiritseer?

Dude, great idea to convert Wood elf models into 40k Eldar use. And you're moulding your own weapons?!? That's insane skill!!

My housemate collects Wood Elves, and I've always loved the models but found them a bit under-powered in fantasy- maybe GW will grace them with an update soon. Perhaps the 40k universe is their true home?

Following, with interest, Keep up the good conversion work

Celtic Strike wrote:Good job. What model did you use for the spiritseer?

Thanks!
A wood elf spellsinger casting.
This one:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440114a&prodId=prod800851

Scoundrel13 wrote:Dude, great idea to convert Wood elf models into 40k Eldar use. And you're moulding your own weapons?!? That's insane skill!!

My housemate collects Wood Elves, and I've always loved the models but found them a bit under-powered in fantasy- maybe GW will grace them with an update soon. Perhaps the 40k universe is their true home?

Following, with interest, Keep up the good conversion work

Thanks. WFB is not for me, but I really like the Wood Elf range. It provides a slightly different take on Exodites.
I'm only making the moulds for a couple of scatter lasers and starcannons. I'm to cheap to buy another kit just for a couple of weapons

Next up will be a Wraithlord based on an Ent from LotR.

Thanks

Hi all,

 Celtic Strike wrote:
Thanks

You're welcome.


We (Metro NYC) had a nice break from high heat and humidity a couple of days ago and I was able to get some primer on the riders and Spiritsinger.




Work has started on two Treelords. I have a couple of Ents that were sitting in their boxes waiting for a purpose.

This model is a pain to put together. Give me a Land Raider Crusader or Valkyrie any day



Legs didn't fit so well

Oh well, a little putty should clean up that mess.

I've decided to equip each Treelord with Scatter Laser, Bright Lance, and Ghostglaive.

A test fit showed these to be to long and they looked very awkward.

This looked much cleaner and more to scale.


Still needs some putty work around the "elbow" area.

Here is some putty work on weapon


Second Treelord's Brightlance. It needs a bit of refinement.


Second Treelord's Scatter Laser


That's all for now. Work will continue on cleaning up joints and putty areas and finish assembling each Treelord.

Thanks and take care.

Hi all,

Work is almost complete on with the Treelords

Treelord I -


I decided to try some of Secret Weapons Miniature Fallen Leaves - found here: http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=578
In order to use these leaves I decided to cut off the leaves already on the mini.


And than to make the Treelords more Wraithlordy I replaced their heads with beads (to represent Wraithstones).


Assembled Treelord I


Treelord II-
Making a T-Rex impression


Leaves removed and putty work to fix leg joint


Assembled


I'm seriously considering making this into a Iyanden or Iy-tree-anden army. Test models are in the works! Does anyone have an idea if Wraithknights are worth using and what weapon options to use?

Thanks and take care

Wraith knights can be usefull. If you want more then one, send them in as they come for the 240 points, if you want just 1 with 2 wraithlords, The suncannon Scater Laser setup for 300 points is the way to go. The Melee Wraith Knight is not worth its points no matter how cool it may look.

Hi all,

NickOnwezen wrote:
Wraith knights can be usefull. If you want more then one, send them in as they come for the 240 points, if you want just 1 with 2 wraithlords, The suncannon Scater Laser setup for 300 points is the way to go. The Melee Wraith Knight is not worth its points no matter how cool it may look.

Thanks! I don't have (or make) opportunities to play all that often so it is nice to know what other people have found to be effective or not.

This project is taking a slight turn. I've decided to make an Iyanden army. The Ent-Lords will be the basis of the new direction. Yes, I am making a Tree army. I'm thinking of using some left over Dryads as Treeseers (Spiritseers), Ents as Treelords (Wraithlord), building Treeguard (Wraithguard) and TreeKnight (Wraithknight) out of wire and clay. The army list is still very, very open as to what it will contain.

I've seen some other folks use wire to make trees and treekin or dryads so I thought "what the heck. Why not?" I've started test model Treeguard using wire armature with clay sculpted to simulate bark. The plan is to use all washes, inks, and pigments to paint the army. I need more practice with these techniques before continuing with Knights of the Flaming Cheddar and Buzz Lightyear armies.

I know this project won't appeal to some and may offend others. Seeing as how I bought two armies for the original Eldar of Athel Loren I'm not feeling guilty of doing this on-the-cheap. So if any care to share their displeasure and feel the need to share their displeasure please feel free to leave a comment.

On to test models.

Basic armatures. They are just over half as tall as the Ents. I used 22 gauge wire ($3 for 200'). I cut six 8" stands, took three and folded them in half and wound the three together. I than took both three-wire strands and wound them together to get basic shape.


I drilled a couple of small holes for wire into the base and than used a small amount of green stuff to help hold wire in place.


Added an axe and shield along with a bead (to represent a "head"). Adjusted some wires to give a look of a tree.


Used some air-drying clay and sculpted onto armature. The branch on top has been replaced. It looked to big. My wife thought it looked like a tree so at least I'm going in the right direction!


Next test model -
I've used a slightly larger bead to represent the head. The smaller bead was lost amongst the bark of the first test.


A couple of different weapons. I think I will use either all wraithcannons or all d-scythes in order to keep it easier for my opponents to keep things straight.



One thing i noticed is I will need to spread out the branches a bit more. The test models need to look more "branchy".

If anyone else has a thought, suggestion, idea, comment, critique, etc please feel free to share.

Thanks and take care.

Hi all,

A little more progress to report.

First up - Treeseers.
Wiser Treeseer - assembled. Arm are pinned and will be removed during painting.


Not as experienced Treeseer


I was able to get a bit of primer on a test model.


I used several different washes / inks to get a feel for what looks better.

After looking at this awhile and than at more trees I noticed I used much to many browns. Trees around my house tend to be gray rather than brown Why didn't I look more closely earlier. D'oh!
I'm thinking P3 Armor or AP Dark wash will make a good first coat and than use washes and/or glazes to add gray, brown, greens, and violet (a few trees around here have a redish tint). I may try to make a wash from LBurlsey's recipe something gray-green-brown.

Back of test model A


I'm still not satisfied with the bases, but I'm not to concerned seeing as how I will be using pigments for the majority of base coloring.


Thanks and take care

Very cool idea and execution! Are they supposed to be exodites or something like that in the fluff?

Hi all,

 Color Sgt. Kell wrote:
Very cool idea and execution! Are they supposed to be exodites or something like that in the fluff?

Thanks. It's been a fun project.

I have called them exodites, but they are really just wood elf models in space!
I also replaced "Wraith" with "Tree". Nothing terribly original or creative here.

Hi all,

Some more test Treeguard are finished.


The clay was difficult to attach to single pieces of wire and kept falling off. I added GS to branches to solve that problem
Branches needed to spread out a bit more in order to look more like a tree.

Here is test #5 -




Test #6 -





It looks like some of the hand branches should be used for something other than hands. Also, the heads don't fit as well as I would like. It should look a bit more natural. They currently look like sticks just sticking out at random spots and random angles.

Oh, well. That's is why they are called test models!

Thanks and take care

Hi, all.

Test models are almost complete!

First up -
I picked up some new clay. The other stuff didn't hold together very well when making smaller pieces like branches.
Some tacky glue to make grass clumps.
Mixing palette.
Winsor and Newton University 233 size 1. The series 7s are incredible so I figured I would try their synthetic line.
Pearl Red Sable Size 2. It didn't cost very much and because of the style of painting I plan to use I need some bigger brushes.
Pearl synthetic set 1-2-4-6. See above reason.


Test models are almost finished. Jut going to try different paints for the edges.


Test A-
I am using my version of Secret Weapon Stone wash. It is a bit lighter so I started with a coat of CW Badab black than my Stone wash. There are also a few streaks of brown and gray glaze. The head is layers of green glaze and green wash. Base is made from various pigments from Vallejo, Secret Weapon, and Mig.


Test B -
Pretty much the same as A. Blue weapon and shield are just layers of blue wash.


Test C -
Same as A and B but with a slightly different mixture of pigments.


Test D -
Two-tone base just to see if a lighter colored base would work.


Test D Left -
Tried Secret Weapons Slate Green pigment on the bark.


Test D Right -
A mix of pigments on the bark.


One item that isn't shown is an orange/yellow I will be using for waepons.

Overall, I am pleased with the different versions and will probably use various techniques for each squad.


Speaking of squads, the army list has been finalized (for now ). I posed a list to Dakka and received many helpful pieces of advice. Based on that advice here is what the list looks like:
HQ - Spiritseer w/ Wraithforge Stone, guardian Helm of Xellethon
HQ - Spiritseer - Stock

TP - Wraithguard w/ D-Cannon (x5)
TP - Wraithguard w/ D-Cannon (x5)
TP - Wraithguard w/ D-Cannon (x5)

TP - Wraithguard w/ D-Scythe (x7)

TP - Wraithblade w/ Swords (x10)

HS - Wraithlord w/ Glaive, Scatter Laser, Brightlance
HS - Wraithlord w/ Glaive, Scatter Laser, Brightlance

HS - Wraithknight - Stock

Total points - 1849

I think assembling the army will take longer than to paint it. I hope to be done by MechaniCon in early November. Time to get to it!

Thanks and take care

Hi all,

Put a little color on base edges.




I'm thinking the dark browns are the way to go. My wife prefers the dark green/grays. Any opinions?


I ordered 100 40mm bases from Litko. I went with 3mm plywood mainly because it was the cheapest. Also, the basing material I ordered from Secret Weapon Miniatures arrived. I went with leaf liter variety pack, crushed glass snow, and realistic water. The plan is to paint and base each unit to represent one of the four seasons. I bellieve it will make it easier to differentiate squads and keep the project from being to repetitive.



The first ten armatures are on bases. I will probably make twenty Treeguard with D-Cannon and leave five unpainted in case I need to tweak the army list.


Heads and weapons are ready to be attached



Next up -
Attaching heads and weapons.
Finalize armature shape for each model.
Add clay and GS.


Thanks and take care

Hi all,

Work is progressing nicely. The first batch of Treeguard are primed and ready for paint.

I think I will build the entire army before painting. The current plan is to finish twenty Wraithguard with Wraithcannons, ten Wraithguard with D-Scythes, ten Wraithblades with swords, one Wraithknight with Heavy Cannons, one Wraithknight with with Suncannon & Scatterlaser (though this one may have to wait)

First up, some pictures of test colors for various spheres. Heads will be the green seen in previous posts. Weapons will be Yellow/orange seen below. "Jump packs' for Wraithknights will either be blue or turquoise.


First batch of Treeguard with heads and weapons.


Clay was applied sections at a time. Starting with legs and moving through each model than start again and apply clay to a different section. The process worked fairly well because it gave each previously applied section time to dry so no fingerprints when touched. Models were primed with gray from a below and spray up direction and than primed white from above spraying downwards. I hope this helps to pre-shade the model a bit.

I asked my niece what the models looked like. She said, "Trees." This is a positive sign.



The bases I purchased are made of 3mm plywood. The plywood is somewhat soft and allows for some "sculpting". I plan to use some water/ice effects so the top layer of plywood was scraped off in areas to provide a space for the effects.


Bases with armatures. Greenstuff provides additional strength when shaping the wire form.


Work will continue with adding clay to armatures and than move onto either Wraithblades or D-Scythe guard.

Thanks and take care.

Hi all,

A fair amount of work has been completed since the previous update!

Ten more Treeguard with Wraithcannons and ten Treeguard with D-Scythes are now ready for clay.


Comparison of Wratihcannon and D-Sycthe.

Their shapes are slightly different. Wraithcannons have a cover over most of the bead. Beads on the D-Scythes have a hole in the front. The hole will have a small piece of red or yellow acrylic rod sticking out. Also, in order to help differentiate between two styles Wraithcannon will be painted orange/yellow and D-Scythes will painted red/orange.

Treeblades are almost ready for clay. I haven't decided on which weapons to use. I figure there will be enough time to get one or two test games before a decision needs to be made. I've been reading various army lists and tactics and most feel ghostswords are the way to go. With axes and shields Wraithblades just don't have enough attacks to be viable.

After a couple of test games I'll add either axes and shields or swords.

During the last month I've been reading and watching many different tutorials for basing, using pigments, making and applying glazes. One tutorial discussed using crackle medium/paste. I picked some up and decided to give it a test run.

It's about 1/16" thick and has a nice effect. I figure it can either be painted to look like dried mud or ice.

Work on a Treeknight has started!

I didn't have two large oval bases lying around so I purchased two from Secret Weapons Miniatures.
The base came out of the package a little warped. Nothing surprising because the base is fairly thin. It has a raised edge to keep water effects and such in place.

I used some plasticard to mount the base on top of in order to make the base rest flat.

It added significant strength to the base while only making it a wee bit higher.


Treeknight armature WIP -

A Treelord can been seen on the bottom right of the photo. It is about half the height of the Treeknight. The Treeknight will be about 9.5 inches high when complete.

Front view


Left view


Rear view

The two beads on back will represent the "Jump" part of the jump monstrous creature.

The Treeknight will run with either two Heavy Wraithcannons or Suncannon / Scattershield & Scatterlaser. Each set is magnetized.
Heavy Wraithcannons

Scatter laser (on left) and Suncannon with Scattershield




Next up, a little paint on the first unit of Treeguard.

Thanks and take care

Hi all,

The planned method of differentiating units is to have each unit based in a different season. So I took four Treeguard with wraithcannon and painted and based one in each season.

First step -
One layer of Citadel Wash - Badab Black (I have three pots and it's time to use 'em or lose 'em). I was hoping to get a bit of underpainting or pre-shading effect. It didn't quite turn out exactly as I hoped, but it turned out well enough.


Second step -
I used a not-as-dark version of LBursley's Stone Wash recipe. The wash looks green-grayish.


Third step -
Applied various pigments to give some alternative colors. Pigments went on okay. I ended up doing a bit more testing to see what pigments work and which don't. It wasn't an issue except I had started on heads and some of the pigments stuck to the green


Fourth step -
Glazes. I've been reading and watching many tutorials about making and applying glazes. Using a guide from Brush Thralls I made glazes from CB Dryad Bark, MSP HD Field Grey, MSP HD Dirty Grey, MSP Shadowed Stone, VGE Heavy Gray. At first I used glaze medium but it came out to glossy so I tried matte medium and the results were much improved.


Fifth step -
Painted heads and weapons using glazes. The green is a bit washed out from the light. Used pigments on the bases.
Also added some clumps of long grass.


Sixth step -
Added static grass, Secret Weapons Miniatures Realistic Water, Crushed glass (winter only) and leaf liter.


Winter - Complete -
I added a bit of slate green and slate blue pigment to simulate lichen. It turned out ... okay, not entirely happy with it, but I think it will work.


Spring - Complete -


Summer - Complete -


Fall - Complete -


Time to add some clay to the remaining Treeguard with wraithcannon armatures and than paint them up. Hopefully, I will have a couple of games in to see if Wraithguard should be equipped with blades or axes/shields.

Thanks and take care