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.

I'm going to expand my Eldar with a bunch of space murder clowns. Here's my trial miniature:


Yeah, it's a Harlequin's Caress and Fusion Pistol conversion.





This is actually my third trial. First time I tried using colored washes, but I got too much fogging and it didn't look properly iridescent. I thought about color shifting paints but decided it would only work well on larger miniatures. My second trial had colorful sashes (blue) and I was planning on purple body stocking, but it didn't look right so I decided to double down on a monochrome scheme, which I've never seen on Harlequins. I mean, it works for Custodes, and what's more bling than space elf murder clowns?

This was also my first use of Badger's Stynylrez airbrush primers (black), THEY ARE THE BUSINESS. If you own an airbrush, get some.

Only 5 colors of paint, 2 washes and 1 texture paint aside from the primer.

It is a lovely gold, great depth of color. I am not entirely sold on the concept, but maybe a few more will change my mind.

 youwashock wrote:
It is a lovely gold, great depth of color. I am not entirely sold on the concept, but maybe a few more will change my mind.

I quibbled over it a long time, but it grew on me. When I tried adding color, I liked it less, though adding more shades of metallic might have worked, as it does for Custodes. I can understand how being so very gold can be off-putting. People actively try to not make their minis look like little statues (unless they're Necrons).

Very interesting look, hopefully see more to see how it carries over or looks as a unit.

Speaking of Necrons I was about to say they remind me of the Deceiver, who has a bit of similarity to Ceogorach.



I don't know if adding maybe metalic colours to the gems might break them up a bit.

 Gael Knight wrote:
Very interesting look, hopefully see more to see how it carries over or looks as a unit.

Speaking of Necrons I was about to say they remind me of the Deceiver, who has a bit of similarity to Ceogorach.

Yeah, I always liked those big metallic C'Tan models.

I don't know if adding maybe metalic colours to the gems might break them up a bit.

I considered that. Lore wise, Harlequins don't wear soulstones, though not every gem needs to be a soulstone. Maybe I could try some of GW's technical gem paints?

Interesting idea, certainly fits well with the harlequin holosuits. Intrigued to see if it works as a unit and with vehicles if you're planning on adding those. As a subtle way to add colour, maybe you could shade different areas with different washes but keep the same base colour and highlights? No idea if it would work that well on one model, but could be a way to differentiate between squads

Maharg wrote:
Interesting idea, certainly fits well with the harlequin holosuits. Intrigued to see if it works as a unit and with vehicles if you're planning on adding those. As a subtle way to add colour, maybe you could shade different areas with different washes but keep the same base colour and highlights? No idea if it would work that well on one model, but could be a way to differentiate between squads

I tried colored washes in the very first trial I did, but most colored GW washes do odd things to gold colors - odd frosting and whitening effect. I have some concern about vehicles, though with strong panel lines and highlights I think I can get good contour.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Group of 3 with the same scheme.

It's growing on me.

 youwashock wrote:
It's growing on me.

Me too. And the camera really likes them, these were really easy to get decent shots of. Makes me wonder if I should have painted up Custodes when they were released.

First box of Harlequins complete, Troupe Master plus 5 Troupe(rs).

Eh, I'm sold. Got a shot of them with your Craftworlders?

 youwashock wrote:
Eh, I'm sold. Got a shot of them with your Craftworlders?

Not the best shot, I had to fiddle with the contrast and brightness a lot. Only so much my painting light can do, but it should give you the idea.

Interesting to note that I painted the gold head of the Wraithblade with the exact same 2 gold paints, but no silver highlights (and probably less of the brighter gold). Huge difference.

They look better and better the more there are Dig the concept, execution is well done. The one thing that bugs me is actually the basing - you can see it in that shot with your Craftworlders. The Harlies look like they've had crackle paint applied to black, which often looks half-finished / rushed to me, vs your other Eldar who have had a different color put down before crackle (I'm pretty sure, even without zooming). For better or worse, my eye keeps getting drawn to these clowns' corner-cut bases, rather than the shining gold of the minis themselves.

 Boss Salvage wrote:
They look better and better the more there are Dig the concept, execution is well done. The one thing that bugs me is actually the basing - you can see it in that shot with your Craftworlders. The Harlies look like they've had crackle paint applied to black, which often looks half-finished / rushed to me, vs your other Eldar who have had a different color put down before crackle (I'm pretty sure, even without zooming). For better or worse, my eye keeps getting drawn to these clowns' corner-cut bases, rather than the shining gold of the minis themselves.

No, they're both black under the crackle. The difference is the Craftworlders got a much thinner coat of texture paint, so there's smaller cracks. The Wraithblades also got a different crackle paint (Martian Ironcrust rather than Ironearth), and the CWE are varnished, while the Harlequins aren't. Add in all the color correction and brightness/contrast fiddling I had to do (bad photo on my part, I didn't want to break out my lightbox) and there's a number of reasons it's not looking quite the same.

Eventually I'll be adding tuft/flock/static grass to my Eldar, but the lazy basing is definitely lazy, as the CWE were a speed painting project, but I want the Harlequin basing to tie the two forces together (and if I ever add Drukhari, they'll get the same as well).

Curious. I suppose the thinner coat on the Craftworlders must have made the most difference? I assumed they were base-coated because I used to black-undercoat crackle and switched to base-coating first, as the final result was rather unfinished / rushed looking over black.

Sounds like you've got a long term plan for the basing, carry on. Was mostly trying to nip a problem in the bud before the clowns really took off.

 Boss Salvage wrote:
Curious. I suppose the thinner coat on the Craftworlders must have made the most difference? I assumed they were base-coated because I used to black-undercut crackle and switched to base-coating first, as the final result was rather unfinished / rushed looking over black.

Sounds like you've got a long term plan for the basing, carry on. Was mostly trying to nip a problem in the bud before the clowns really took off.

CWE were my first use of crackle paint and I went way to thin on most of them. I tend to have the same opinion of crackle - looks unfinished - but as a surface for further basing, it's fine and way faster than dealing with the painted sand I usually use.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Got a Starweaver done.



Rarely for me, I fully assembled this model before painting (aside from base/stand). The crew don't have pegs to position them and pinning them would have been nightmarishly fiddly. There was enough clearance for the simple paint job I was doing, but if someone's painting diamonds on Harlequins, it would be pretty rough! Fpr all the kit's fiddlyness, however, it fits together superbly and has almost no mold lines, super clean.

I decided for a proper base rather than the flight stand, and the basing elements are from other Eldar sprues, as well as the Farseer's molded base, broken up into 2 pieces. I still think the mounting is terribly fragile, even compared to the old peg flight stands (it's a ball top stand).

Some errors, I had a bad glue joint I didn't notice until i had gold paint on it (railing) and some mottling on the canopy, which was just washed with Agrax Earthshade

More photos of the Starweaver (I had to clean out my memory card last night).





Not much highlighting inside the box, way too difficult to reach. That dangling handle bit was IMO a bad design choice and seems way too fragile, even compared to the melee weapons sticking out everywhere.

That is... incredibly gold. It takes a moment or so to get used to but i like it.

Yeah I was worried how it would work on a vehicle, fortunately the Starweaver is a small vehicle with lots of curves that helps catch the light. Not something I'd want to try on large flat surfaces.

That's a fresh looking ride.

Some Skyweavers.


Strangely, despite playing and painting 40k for 20+ years, I don't paint very many bikes. I think I painted an attack bike half way in 5th edition. Not a bike (or cavalry) painting person, really.



Starting to run out of my supply of old eldar base decorations, so I'm starting to improvise with Wraithblade shimmershields and vehicle bits. And yes, the bike is high enough to clear the statue, which is from the Dire Avengers sprue.



I can't see arming these bikes with Star Bolas. Maybe if you were allowed to shoot with other stuff and grenades at the same time, but as it stands, I should always want to fire Haywire Cannons.

Vehicles looking fantastic.

I love these. Beautiful work on the gold, and conceptually they remind me of the street performers you see with painted gold skin & clothes. Very harlequinesque imo - and they look great mixed in with your craftworlders.

 tzurk wrote:
I love these. Beautiful work on the gold, and conceptually they remind me of the street performers you see with painted gold skin & clothes. Very harlequinesque imo - and they look great mixed in with your craftworlders.

Thanks. Before I started I did a google image search of those kinds of performers. There's a group in the UK https://www.scarlettentertainment.com/page/gold-dancers-uk that use gold costumes and extensive use of LED lights, very cool stuff.

The more you paint, the better I like them. It really looks good on the skimmers.

You really worked that gold on the larger minis, good stuff. Bases seem improved as well

 youwashock wrote:
The more you paint, the better I like them. It really looks good on the skimmers.

I am glad, however that I decided to not use the transparent flight bases. I think the minis need that colored base to offset all the gold going on.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Tentative 1000 point list

Harlequins Batallion - Soaring Spite

HQ Troupe Master (70) w/ Fusion Pistol (7), Harlequin's Kiss (7) 84
HQ Shadowseer (124) w/ Shuriken Pistol, Miststave 125

Troop 5x Troupe (13) w/ Fusion Pistol (7), Harlequin's Caress (7) 135
Troop 5x Troupe (13) w/ Fusion Pistol (7), Harlequin's Caress (7) 135
Troop 6x Troupe (13) w/ Fusion Pistol (7), Harlequin's Blade (0) 120

Transport 1x Starweaver (79) w/ 2x Shuriken Cannon (10e) 99
Transport 1x Starweaver (79) w/ 2x Shuriken Cannon (10e) 99
Transport 1x Starweaver (79) w/ 2x Shuriken Cannon (10e) 99

Fast 2x Skyweaver (30) w/ Haywire Cannon (15), Zephyrglaive(6) 102 998

I worry a bit about holding back-field objectives, considering this is a super aggressive rush army. I may consider dumping a Starweaver for a bunch of basic Troupe (13e with Shuriken and blade) to mix with the Fusion/Blade Troupe unit making 2 units of 6, each with 3 Fusions to 'lurk and camp' objectives.