# The Art of Necromancy! Reaper’s Mantic Undead



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

*"Necromancy is the most abhorrent of sorcery, and all who practise it are hated and feared in equal measure. In violation of natural law, Necromancers are able to use their power to defy death itself, extending their own lives virtually indefinitely.” *​
_Nalgar walked across the empty plains, humming to himself. In the distance he could hear them coming. Hundreds of armoured boots. He smiled, it was raining. He enjoyed summoning in the rain. And this fog would provide amply cover. 
He placed his phylactery in a finely crafted steel box and handed it to Ra’s.
‘Make sure it is well hidden.’
‘Yes my lord.’
‘And call the others. They will be here soon.’
Ra’s bowed his head and hurried away. Nalgar was joined by a quintet of other necromancer’s, forming a line beside him.
‘Karnack,’ the Liche spoke, ‘are you certain this is the place?’
‘Certain my lord. There will be more than enough.’
‘Excellent. You may begin your summoning.’
The necromancers moved away as the Elf army appeared in view at the opposite end of the field. Nalgar watched his necromancers begin the process of raising the dead. Skeletal arms burst from the ground all around him. The undead rose from their earthly slumber and formed neat ranks and columns. 
‘So much more obedient than the living,’ Nalgar laughed. He took a phial from inside his robes and poured a single drop onto the fertile earth. Speaking an incantation of dark magic, he lifted his arms above his head. The ground gave a soft rumble and the freshly dead forced their way back into the land of the living. The zombies formed a horde of rotten flesh in front of the skeletal ranks. Nalgar watched the ghouls who had accompanied him fight amongst one another with a smile. 
‘The summoning is complete my lord,’ Ra’s said.
‘And my phylactery?’
‘Totally hidden.’
‘Excellent. Let us spill some blood.’ 
_


_____________________________________


Yes, that's right, it's time for another Reaper plog. And this time, it's not marines!

No sir, this log will chronicle my journey into the art of Necromancy as I build and paint an undead army for Mantic's Kings of War. There aren't a lot of Mantic log's around. So my plan is to make this something special :grin:

In light of recent happenings involving GW, I have decided a partial boycott is in order. I won't be buying GW minis in the month of June and I play on toning down my buying of GW minis in the future too. I already have more than enough marines to make thousands of points for an army, and I recently sold most of my Guard/Krieg, so the stage is set for Mantic. I will still buy GW paints because they are what I work with most, but I'll only need to buy a few to get myself going with this army. 

Well, onto Mantic then. As I said, because of recent events, myself and a few others have decided to give Kings of War a go. I downloaded the rules and gave them a read, and so far, I'm loving what I'm seeing. For such an easy game it seems to have so much character. 

I chose undead because I think they have the best models and I already had a horde of zombies. 

My force will based around the Liche King Nalgar, from the short fluff piece above. He's a vicious being, but I'm hoping to add a little humor to him over time. As per the fluff, Liches deal with the recently dead, so Nalgar is a master of Zombies and ghouls. While his six necromancers handle the skeleton elements of the army. 
I will be reflecting this on the table top. Whenever there are zombies or ghouls present. Nalgar will be there. And wherever skeletons walk, his Necromancers won't be far behind.

So, onto pictures: 

Obviously one of the first things I considered was colour scheme. I saw a few different ones that I liked but in the end settled on a variation of the Mantic Studio army's Red and Blue. I chose this scheme because blue is one of my favorite colors to work with and red can be done really well with washes. 

My first test mini was Ra's (think Ra's al Ghoul from batman for the pronunciation)





































I chose to use a ringwraith model because I'm not fond of the any of the hero undead miniatures apart from Mhorgoth. The pictures make him look a lot shinier than he is and a few have lost some of the depth in the colors (the bottom is closest to true colors)

Next we have my first army standard.



















I'm really pleased with this guy. However, the picture has washed out a lot of the depth in the red and blue, particularly on his banner. He represents a recently dead warrior, hence the skin tone. For those interested, here are my colour recipes:

Blue

Basecoat regal blue
Ogryn Flesh wash
Begin layering a 50/50 mix of ultramarine blue and regal blue
Highlight with roughly a 50/25/25 regal/ultramarine/white mix
Wash with Asurmen blue to tie the colours together.

Red
Mechrite Red Basecoat
Thraka Green Wash
Layer Roughly 50/25/25 Scarab red/blood red/blazing orange
Highlight pure blood red
Wash heavily with baal red wash.

Metals
Boltgun base
Chainmail and weapons are washed badab black
Plates and other metal areas washed devlan mud

Dead Skin
Dheneb stone base
Levaithan purple wash
layer a 50/50 mix od Dheneb stone and Rotting flesh
Highlight with same mix but skull white added. 
VERY light purple wash

The last thing we have is the first regiment of zombies: 










These will be (re)painted following this tutorial.






Well, if you've stuck with me till the end, have an internet cookie. I will be buying the undead £50 set in a few days and will begin building the majority of my force.

Until then k:


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## LordOfAbsolution (Jul 22, 2009)

nice colour scheme, what are the Manic zombie's like in person I'm thinking of purchasing some.


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## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

I've always wanted to see some examples of these miniatures. Looking forward to more posts! =)


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

LordOfAbsolution said:


> nice colour scheme, what are the Manic zombie's like in person I'm thinking of purchasing some.


In my opinion they are the best 28mm zombies on the market. There's not a huge range or possibility in them (its a single frame of 3/4 zombies) but that doesn't really matter when youve got millions of them 



Masked Jackal said:


> I've always wanted to see some examples of these miniatures. Looking forward to more posts! =)


You hopefully won't have to wait too long 

I ideally want to bring this army up to at least 2000 points with a mix of units so expect lots of goodies :grin:


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## Viscount Vash (Jan 3, 2007)

imm0rtal reaper said:


> I ideally want to bring this army up to at least 2000 points with a mix of units so expect lots of goodies :grin:



Mmm Mantic Sprue pictures...





Good to see a Mantic based Plog start up mate, look forward to finally getting a better look at some of their stuff and watching how you build up your force.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Viscount Vash said:


> Mmm Mantic Sprue pictures...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, I was planning on asking if you wanted all the sprues from the battleforce uploaded lol. 

I'm hoping more people will post Mantic logs on here, can't get enough of them at the minute. 

The main body of my army will be skeletal hordes with banners and musicians to help in combat, as well as spears to give them more punch, and undead ratdogs to keep them on the field. These will be screened with zombies, lots and lots of zombies!


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## LordOfAbsolution (Jul 22, 2009)

I've just watched all 3 parts to that guys tutorial + the finished images one and... Wow! that looks so amazing and with so little effort, it is a great effect for realistic zeds than the comic green. thanks for posting it up! +rep.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Sweet another Reaper Log!!!!!!! Looking forward to seeing these guys unfold mate.


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## farseer22 (May 23, 2011)

I'm looking forward to more of this one too. Thanks for posting the colour recipes, seeing how other people do colours helps me refine my ideas and processes for colours. Do you mix the highlight colour in a seperate pot and use it for the whole amy/unit or just mix it on a pallet as needed?


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## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

This may seem a little sadistic of me, but this thread should die and get another post a couple years later.


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## KhainiteAssassin (Mar 18, 2009)

LE GASP! reaper not doing Marines? XD


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

LordOfAbsolution said:


> I've just watched all 3 parts to that guys tutorial + the finished images one and... Wow! that looks so amazing and with so little effort, it is a great effect for realistic zeds than the comic green. thanks for posting it up! +rep.


It is an awesome method :grin: and the end result is pretty sweet. 



Midge913 said:


> Sweet another Reaper Log!!!!!!! Looking forward to seeing these guys unfold mate.





KhainiteAssassin said:


> LE GASP! reaper not doing Marines? XD


Cheers guys :grin:



Masked Jackal said:


> This may seem a little sadistic of me, but this thread should die and get another post a couple years later.


Lol, love it!




farseer22 said:


> I'm looking forward to more of this one too. Thanks for posting the colour recipes, seeing how other people do colours helps me refine my ideas and processes for colours. Do you mix the highlight colour in a separate pot and use it for the whole amy/unit or just mix it on a pallet as needed?


You're welcome. For these first few I mixed the colours on a palate to make sure I had ones I was happy with. For the army proper, I will be mixing them in pots, The First layer colour for the red and blue I already had mixed though. 

Cheers for all the comments so far folks. Good to see so much interest already k: I won't disappoint you :victory:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Time for a minute update. In keeping with trying to make this mantic log stand out somewhat, I've decided _every_ unit will be mounted on scenic bases, mini displays if you will.

The first one's I will be doing is a horde of zombies. To increase my tactical flexibility in smaller games, this horde will be two regiments on interlocking bases. The theme for this first set of bases will be a graveyard. 










The right side of the base represents the graveyard. Where zombies will be breaking out from graves (using the tombstones from the skeleton set, and casting them as needed. The dark grey squares represent a gap and the thick black line will be the fence. 

After buying the army box I will have 90 odd zombies, by splitting this into two groups of 46, I'll be able to have two full hordes, each with 46 models on the base. This means it will still look like a horde, but I can maximise the number of models I have. 

The left side of the picture represents the second base, outside the graveyard. Zombies on this side of the fence will be much tighter packed as they advance on their dinner! 

The blue squares represent a group of zombies that have broken off from the group to feast on an unfortunate passer by (the dark grey square)

Hopefully that gives you a good idea where I'm going with this. I'll update in a day or two with my progress. 

Until then!


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## greenee22 (May 12, 2011)

wow that is one hell of a plan.

besides, 90 divided in two isn't 46, its 45


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

greenee22 said:


> wow that is one hell of a plan.
> 
> besides, 90 divided in two isn't 46, its 45


Cheers :grin:

I know, I've got more than 90 (I got "60" and "30", but you can make extra zombies from the bits on the sprue, so really I've probably got closer to 110 but a lot of those would be legs with spines or zombies bursting from the ground. And as a horde of 45 can't be halved, I've opted for 46 per horde (which should be 60, but individual models don't matter in K.o.W, it's glorious lol)

Basic work is done for the fencing now, I need to wait for the box set to arrive until I can get more bases to finish it off. I won't be finishing the bases off fully (adding sand and painting) until September. All my fantasy stuff is in Cardiff still (I'm in N. Wales) I want to add arrows and shields and spears to the bases, make them look more like a battlefield.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

_The Tale of Nalgar, the Liche King_​
No one knows how long Nalgar has walked this earth. He was once a well respected scholar and mage. But he was outcast from the school of wizardry when he suggested the study of Necromancy as standard practise to better understand the threat it posed. Driven from his life as a well known and highly regarded member of society, Nalgar moved to the country where he practised with the damned arts on his own for many years. 

When word reached him that his son had been murdered in the city, Nalgar returned. He found his son’s resting place and used his knowledge to perform a summoning spell. However, Nalgar was but a novice, with no true understanding of the art he was practising. His spell did indeed revive his son, along with every corpse in the graveyard. The mass of zombies he had raised proceeded to slaughter hundreds across the city, acting on Nalgar’s powerful hate of those who had “wronged” him. By the time his hold broke on the undead, Nalgar was a shell. Having witness the citizens of his hometown butchered, their flesh feasted on by those things he himself had summoned, Nalgar was a broken man. 

Overcome with grief, Nalgar returned to his country home and delved deeper into the secrets of Necromancy, determined to revive those he had killed. Six years later he returned to the city to find it repopulated. After some searching he found the mass grave of those affected by the actions of his last visit. With his new knowledge, and broken mind, he raised an army of hundreds of skeletons. The townspeople attacked him, calling him a monster, but they did not understand. Nalgar tried to make them see he had corrected his mistakes but they would not listen. So the Necromancer turned his undead on the living, slaughtering the inhabitants of the city for a second time. 

The next few years are shrouded in mystery. Nalgar, along with his ever growing legion of undead, made his way across the land, sacking towns and cities as he went. As each populated area fell, his numbers grew. During this period there were dozens major battles between Nalgar’s army and the Elves, and several against the Dwarves. At some point during this time Nalgar achieved his Liche status, his living body having finally succumbed to the effects of Necromancy. But in death, Nalgar became far more powerful than he ever was in life. His grief and sorrow were replaced with an insatiable lust for chaos. He wrought a bloody path, decimating entire armies as they tried to stop him.

And then, after many months of destruction, he disappeared. There was no sign of the Liche, or his forces, for many years, his very existence became myth and his actions became another note in the history books and he was forgotten. What he did during this period is unknown. But when he returned, he did so at the head of a colossal army of undead. Having recruited his famous six insidious Necromancers, Nalgar was able to summon a terrifying force and advance upon the living world. 

Now the Liche King seems to have been forgotten once again as the thoughts of the free people have turned to Mhorgoth. What they don’t know is that the Necromancer actually seeks the Liche King to learn his secrets. The world shall most certainly suffer if the two ever join forces. 

_______________________________

Time for another fluff/mini update. 

I have a shot of the progress made on my zombie base, it's missing 10 basses as I don't have them yet but it's coming along nicely. When I get back t Cardiff I'll add lots of little details like arrows, spears, leaves and such to make it more interesting. 










Until next time peeps.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hey all, it’s a text update today (boo!)

I’ve been thinking a lot about the background of this army and I’m really intrigued by Nalgar’s six Necromancers. Now, some of you may be wondering how I can be intrigued by it when it’s something I wrote, well anyone else who writes will know the effect that character development can have lol. 

The snippet of fluff on the site mentions that the Liche deals mainly with the more fleshy undead (zombies), and while I’m sure a Liche of Nalgar’s status would have no trouble summoning skellies, I’m going to keep him for zombies and general evil over-lording. So it will be up to his insidious six to summon the bulk of the army. 

I’ve been thinking about how this will work and I have a general concept in mind. Each of the six necromancers will be responsible for one particular unit type. 

For example, one Liche may be the sole summoner of skeleton warriors, another in charge of the revenants, a third for the cavalry (mounted on a horse of course, probably a revenant conversion using the plastic skeleton hood and other bits). Then I would have a necromancer dedicated to the binding of spirits to bring wraiths to the field. That would leave me with two necromancers that can assist and also it leave me room for any new undead that are released. 

My plan for this in tabletop representation is twofold. The first, and most obvious, will be heraldry. I want to keep the army colours uniform, but by having individual heraldry for each necromancer, I can add these to the shields/etc of the units they have raised. 

The other, and more subtle way to do this is eyes. The undead are animated via magic, and it is said the skeleton warriors have an aura about them (the air around them hums. And there is a metallic scent/taste to them) So I will be painting their eyes to colour co-ordinate with the eyes of their raiser, to tie them together. It’s only something small, but I really like it as a concept, sort of a magical signature for each magic user. 

Hobby wise, I’m still waiting for the undead army box to arrive (I’m jonesing for some undead now) but have already started planning my next purchases (cavalry and warmachines :grin: )

Comments/suggestions welcome.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Sounds like a good way to go about it. I like the idea of each of the necromancers having their own personal heraldry, and I think that through symbols and icons you can achieve this pretty easily while still keeping the same over all color scheme. As for the thing with the eyes I can see a really nice opportunity to employ some nice OSL techniques to really sell that.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Sounds like a good way to go about it. I like the idea of each of the necromancers having their own personal heraldry, and I think that through symbols and icons you can achieve this pretty easily while still keeping the same over all color scheme. As for the thing with the eyes I can see a really nice opportunity to employ some nice OSL techniques to really sell that.


Cheers Midge, that is the idea I have. I plan on sclupting at least one 'mancer casting balfire, and the colour of his/his troops eyes will also correspond to his balefire.


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

LOL, look like you got yourself a larger version of 'Connect Four' going on there (old board game for those curious)...The models really do look great and I am sure you will do a super job on them when you start painting them all up.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

_Nalgar watched as his undead horde advanced towards the Elven line. Many of his minions fell to the points of the Elves arrows, but they rose again as soon as they fell. He smiled as Ar’nath’s wraiths glided towards the Elf line, their spirit bodies immune to bolt and spear. The Liche gave a throaty laugh as the western glank of the elf line buckled under the weight of the wraith assault. As the elves adjusted their line to meet the threat, Caloth led his revenant cavalry from the tree line into the heart of the Elves eastern flank. Caught between lance and spirit, the Elves were defenceless against the main body of the force as it arrived. The ghouls struck first, biting, hacking, clawing, limbs falling wherever they went. The zombies arrived next, feasting on the injured and pushing further into the Elf line. 
When the skeleton horde reached them, the elves were broken. In retreat or dead, they were defeated. 

‘Ra’s,’ the Liche spoke, ‘regroup the troops, we press on. The day is young and there is much blood to be spilled.’
_
________

Update time folks. The undead box still hasn’t arrived, turns out its out of stock so won’t arrive until the end of next week at the earliest 

I have managed to get some more painting done though. I painted another Necromancer, Ar’nath the wraith master. 



















His staff top is green because that will be the colour of my wraiths. And green is Ar’nath’s magical signature. You can’t see it in the picture, but he has green eyes also. 

I think by this point I’ve got painting the red and blue down to a T and should be able to knock the main force out quite quickly.

As always, comments, suggestions and criticisms are always welcome!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Very cool Reap! Love the cloak!


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

Good looking stuff, I think the Mantic undead line is their best. Looking forward to seeing more of these done!


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## LordOfAbsolution (Jul 22, 2009)

HAASAR! Reaper you pushed me into getting some, I was able to get 60 of the Shamblers for £22.50 from Firestorm games, that is a fanastic value for how good these models are, hopefully they'll get here within the next week (I've also ordered all the paints I need, based on that tutorial)
I've already repped you for this you I thank you for inspiration on getting these ^_^


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Very cool Reap! Love the cloak!





djinn24 said:


> Good looking stuff, I think the Mantic undead line is their best. Looking forward to seeing more of these done!


Cheers guys, one way or another, I should at least have some skeletons by saturday!



LordOfAbsolution said:


> HAASAR! Reaper you pushed me into getting some, I was able to get 60 of the Shamblers for £22.50 from Firestorm games, that is a fanastic value for how good these models are, hopefully they'll get here within the next week (I've also ordered all the paints I need, based on that tutorial)
> I've already repped you for this you I thank you for inspiration on getting these ^_^


Wow, 22.50 is a great price. I shall definatley be using firestorm when I return to Cardiff. The zombies really are amazingly detailed models. I'm really looking forward to having hundreds of the painted. (planning on two hordes straight off the bat!)


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## CLT40k (Jun 18, 2010)

Nice work... + rep


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## LordOfAbsolution (Jul 22, 2009)

Hey reaper the first half of my zeds came today, was damn fast delivery and they came from your neck of the woods (Cardiff) and I have to say the models are as I dreamed, I'll post up my own topic once I start painting them.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

CLT40k said:


> Nice work... + rep


Cheers :grin: 



LordOfAbsolution said:


> Hey reaper the first half of my zeds came today, was damn fast delivery and they came from your neck of the woods (Cardiff) and I have to say the models are as I dreamed, I'll post up my own topic once I start painting them.


Excellent, I've never been to/used firestorm before, but they do seem good. I'll be sure to pop over there when I'm back in the 'Diff. 

Glad you like the zombies, they are excellent sculpts. The only things I think that let them down are the lack of poses and the way the torso and legs go together, but when you have hundreds, I suppose it doesn't matter. 

I'm _still_ waiting on my order so have very little to show. But, I did try my hand at sculpting some fire:










It's not brilliant, but for a first try, I'm pretty pleased with the job I did. And who knows, fire may be something you see more of in the future


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

_
In ages past, the mightiest of heroes and chieftains who fell in battle were entombed in cairns and barrows of stone and earth, still garbed in the armour they wore in life. Surrounded by their earthly wealth, they were sealed in with curses and hexes, ensuring that none disturbed their eternal slumber. However, while these ancient spells of warding might keep centuries of tomb robbers at bay, they pose little hindrance to the most powerful Necromancers.
Their tombs defiled, these ancient heroes are infused with the Necromancer’s power and rise to become Revenants, deadly undead warriors whose power is far greater than that of the lesser Undead. Though their flesh has long since rotted from their bones, they are encased in heavy ensorcelled armour of bronze and iron, making them nigh on impossible to destroy. Their weapons radiate a deadly chill, and it is said that those felled by these cursed blades are damned for all eternity, their souls forfeit. The Revenants form the armoured elite of a Necromancer’s army, and there are few living warriors with the strength or nerve to stand against them._

*- The Book of the Dead*

_____


Update time, with real pictures!!!

I was lucky enough to get a box of revenants today and have just finished building my first 5

Group: 










Champion










Converted revenants (body and head reposition, to make them face front)










Generic revenant and banner:










I know the pictures don’t show it, but there is so much detail in these figures, they were a joy to assemble and I’m even more excited for my whole army to arrive now!

On another note, I’ve been looking into fantasy terrain for K.o.W and stumbled upon this in my cupboard a few days ago. I had totally forgotten about it until now:










I can’t decided whether to paint it grey, or and off white. Thoughts?

Cheers guys!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hmm, I seem to be knocking it out faster than you guys can post 

I finished my test model for the rank and file today. It took me just over an hour which is a respectable time. Once I get the hang of them, I should be able to knock them out in about 30-45 minuets, and less for the regular skellies. 

So here is my first (decent) fully painted mantic model: 




























The reds and blues where painted the same as previous models.

The bone is dheneb stone washes devlan mud, highlighted back up to stone. 

The gold is boltgun metal with 3 washes of sepia. 

This model was such a joy to work on. There is so much detail packed into such a small space on these figs.

I'd like to get some feedback on this guy so comment away


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Nice work Reap! my only comment would be that the silver on his weapon looks a little too clean and bright for a recently unearthed undead guy. Maybe a Devlan/Badab wash to dull it down a bit. Other than that looking great buddy!


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## farseer22 (May 23, 2011)

I agree with Midge, the only thing I would say different is the whole thing looks a little too "clean". I like the colour scheme and the overall look of the model, just needs a bit of grave dirt on him.


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

Echo x 3. This is the one set of models that I like from Mantic.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Nice work Reap! my only comment would be that the silver on his weapon looks a little too clean and bright for a recently unearthed undead guy. Maybe a Devlan/Badab wash to dull it down a bit. Other than that looking great buddy!





farseer22 said:


> I agree with Midge, the only thing I would say different is the whole thing looks a little too "clean". I like the colour scheme and the overall look of the model, just needs a bit of grave dirt on him.





djinn24 said:


> Echo x 3. This is the one set of models that I like from Mantic.


Cheers guys, I haven't decided if I want to dirty up the force yet. But I'll dull the weapon down at least :wink:

Also, an army showcase for this force just went live. I'd greatly appreciate it if people could head over and comment/rate it 

Cheers folks.


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## Kobrakai (Jul 25, 2008)

It's very nice to see something a bit different to 40k and little bits of Warhammer Fantasy on this log pages. So seeing a Mantic undead force is cool!

Nice work mate, the blues and reds remind me of peasants from Brettonians! Very nice scheme, and will make for a awesome force. 

Keep up the nice work mate, it's great to see! :biggrin:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

_Nalgar walked amongst the dead, stepping over their broken bodies as though picking his way through a flower garden, careful not to spoil any of the plants. He paused over a slain Elf and knelt down beside it. He took the head in his hands and moved the mouth.
‘Lovely weather,’ Nalgar said in a high voice, mimicking the Elf.
‘Mmm yes. I do enjoy the rain,’ he replied in his usual tone.
‘Say, would you be so kind as to help me up?’
‘Why of course,’ he sprang to his feet, ‘let me help you.’
With a surge of magical energy Nalgar raised the dead Elf. It stood before him, its wounds still weeping, but oblivious to them. 
‘There, is that better?’ He asked. The Elf did not reply. 
‘Hmm,’ Nalgar grunted, leaving the Elf standing there, perfectly still. ‘Ra’s,’ he shouted, hopping over the corpses, ‘I don’t like these Elves. They’re rude!’
‘What shall we do with them?’
‘Raise them, and then get rid of them for good,’ he chuckled, ‘don’t want those pesky Elf souls sticking around do we?’
‘No my lord. I will instruct the others.’
‘Good, bring me the body of their general though. I could do with another foot rest for the evenings.’
_
_______

*Bugle sounds*

Duh dun uh nuh!

Update time merry travellers!

I’ve finished my first 10 revenants and overall, I’m pretty pleased with them. They’re not perfect, but I think they look pretty good. 























































For the rest of the army though, I will be base coating everything before any washes are applied. I did it in stages for these guys and the waiting between washes was insane. 

Also, good news! Wayland have finally shipped my undead army and it should be here Monday morning. So this log is about to kick off big time!

I'd also be grateful if people could head over to my army showcases and comment and rate!

Red scorpions

Mantic Undead

Until Then!


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Excellent work dude, even tho they arent GW figs, they def have a Bret. undead look to them.

I look forward to seeing this log kick off and wish you the best as you progress!

Regards,
DoE


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

Wow looking good Im. You are a painting and modelling machine!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Disciple_of_Ezekiel said:


> Excellent work dude, even tho they arent GW figs, they def have a Bret. undead look to them.
> 
> I look forward to seeing this log kick off and wish you the best as you progress!
> 
> ...


Cheers pal :grin:



The Wraithlord said:


> Wow looking good Im. You are a painting and modelling machine!


Thanks Wraith. Being unemployed definitely helps lol. It's really nice to be painting something other than GW, its a nice chance. I'm going to make a human army out of my minas tirith warriors that I can't sell lol.


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## farseer22 (May 23, 2011)

Looking really good 

you got rid of that overly "clean" look you had going early on and they look fresh from the grave and ready to fight. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these dead guys.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Very nice work Reap! They look fantastic!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

farseer22 said:


> Looking really good
> 
> you got rid of that overly "clean" look you had going early on and they look fresh from the grave and ready to fight. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these dead guys.





Midge913 said:


> Very nice work Reap! They look fantastic!


Thanks a lot guys., I'm really pleased we've reached 5 pages and there's only actually one painted unit lol. 

I'm hoping the undead army will be here when I get up (though that could be late as I'm ill at the moment) so if it is, expect this to be an update filled week!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Got my first couple of test zombies painted up. The spray method I planned on using failed so I tried to emulate the style in this picture:










I think I came close enough for the time being, it’s a bit darker but hey ho.. I was concerned with them being too dull, but when I thought about it, the zombies represent the peasantry, so they would be wearing dull and plain clothes and keeping to limited palette reflects this. So here they are: 





































Comments and criticism welcome!

EDIT:

Forgot to mention, THE ARMY HAS ARRIVED!




























This box is such good value for money. 110 models for £45 (from wayland) Epic!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

*+The following is an extract from the notes of the scholar, Jorge Eli+*

_
“We heard them long before we saw them. A terrible, dull moan that carried on the wind like an autumn leaf. We held our ground, waiting. It was many minutes before we caught glimpse of their front ranks. Red points amongst the mist. Their eyes, crimson like the blood dawn. The moans grew louder and louder, a deafening crescendo counterpointed by their snarls. At fifty paces they broke ranks and charged, jaws snapping at the air. 
We held our shields firm and received their charge. They crashed upon us like a wave, their limitless numbers pressing against us. Our boots left gouges in the earth as we were forced backwards under the weight of their attack. They fell easily upon our blades but for each mindless creature that was slain, many more took its place. And worse, they were slowly thinning our line. 
When our defences broke we were forced to scatter, each warrior alone against the horde. Rotten hands pressed against my armour and I swung my sword as though it was the banner at the summer dance. 
When I managed to break free of the combat I fled, I’m not ashamed to admit, for you would have done the same, you’d be a fool not to. 
I lost a lot of good friends that day.

So do not ask if I know of zombies!”_

*- Ri’ta, Elf spearman. Committed to asylum following the battle of Oak Pass.*

_____________________

Greetings all, got a small update for you.

I’ve finished the bases for my first two zombie regiments:










Some of the zombies are finished, the rest need their cloth painting and blood adding. 





























The base alone:










And some details:










And the second base, which has the graveyard in:










And details:










Once I get back to Cardiff I’ll be adding fallen leaves and autumn foliage to all the bases. 

So what do you think?

Cheers


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## feckwit101 (Mar 1, 2010)

Very nice, i like the way they swarm/shuffle out of the ground the poses are very well thought out. 

I am not a WFB fan as a whole but was tempted to do an army using the Mantic Undead mini's and you Sir/Madam are not helping my future bank balance.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

feckwit101 said:


> Very nice, i like the way they swarm/shuffle out of the ground the poses are very well thought out.
> 
> I am not a WFB fan as a whole but was tempted to do an army using the Mantic Undead mini's and you Sir/Madam are not helping my future bank balance.


Cheers pal, and it's sir :wink:

You should give kings of war a go, the rules are free so there's nothing to lose!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hey guys, thought I'd give you a teaser of something to come:










This is the cover to a WIP piece I've got on the go. It will be the account of Nalgar's campaign by Jorge Eli, from the earlier post. Think of it as a sort of documentary (sort of like world war Z) 

I'm planning lots of stories as well as a whole section of witness accounts like Ri'ta's. I'd also like to get some maps in there to show where Nalgar went. 

I'll keep you guys updated on how it's going :wink:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

*+The following is an extract from the notes of the scholar, Jorge Eli+*

_“Have you ever seen them? The undead? The first thing you will notice is the sound, or rather, the lack of it. When they march, they make no noise, other than the haunting sound of their bones against the earth. There is no speech, no mighty battle cry, just bone. And then you’ll see their red eyes inside their empty sockets as they charge you. 
They fight as well as any living man I’ve seen, but normal blows do not fell them. And even if you are lucky and strike one to the ground, its master with summon it to fight again. 

I’m amazed we won at all, against those monsters.”_

*- Mason Erik, veteran of the Battle of Iso. Currently a lecturer on Necromancy at Altus University.*

___________

No replies? Well, guess you just need more lovely pictures then!

I’ve started painting my skeletons and had hoped I’d be able to paint all the base colours and then wash and highlight them to save time, but the result look shit. So, I’ve opted for the _much_ slower way. I paint each step on its own (bone, cloth, silver) and between each step I return with chaos black to re-undercoat any areas that the paint has gone over. It takes a lot longer but I think the result is worth it. Whether I’ll still be saying that after a few hundred of the is a different story lol.



















Detail shot:




























I’m really pleased with them, and think a horde of them will look pretty sweet. 

What do you think people?


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## scscofield (May 23, 2011)

The models and paint on them look awesome, love the guy with the axe in his head. If you are wanting to add a little more color to the clothing of your peasant zombies you could give them a embroidery trim. It was what all those peasant women did during the winter months


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

scscofield said:


> The models and paint on them look awesome, love the guy with the axe in his head. If you are wanting to add a little more color to the clothing of your peasant zombies you could give them a embroidery trim. It was what all those peasant women did during the winter months


Thanks bud.

Moar pictures!

Finished another two guys: 





































The first 5 skellies:




























An "army so far" shot:










And a scale comparison:


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## elmir (Apr 14, 2011)

About the only thing I would change on these, is perhaps some application of rust effects (through washes or powders) to the weapons. Blood always looks a bit off for a skeleton imo... but the blades still look a bit too bright for an undead army...


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hey folks, another update. 

Almost finished working on the first revenant regiment base. The idea is that the horde base will have a golden skull statue at either end. It could be the entrance to a temple, or just simply a couple statues lol. 

The pictures aren’t brilliant but they give you an idea of the look and colours 














































I know at the moment it looks just like a random skull, but for the second base I plan on adding fallen pillars and stuff to represent the temple, and once the bases have some foliage on them it should look fine. 

I also build the base for the first skellie regiment last night. I used pieces of sprue to construct a wall. I know the was doesn’t look amazing, but don’t forget this was hastily built by peasants to offer some meagre protection :wink:











And now I’m going to ask for help. I need LOTS more base ideas and so please post your suggestions and also reference pictures if you have them.


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

Nice skellies imm0rtal 
For bases
-toppled dead tree
-overturned horsecart(s)
-barrels,wooden boxes and sacks
-a stream with the floating death
-bones from a giant or some other big creature
-piece of cast iron fence, as around a graveyard, with the gate on one hinge
-a grave/sarcophagus with the lid askew
-a moat with stakes, the skillies raising from their wet grave

I think something like this fits the layout of your other bases.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Cheers Zodd, The cart/boxes and tree are things I'd thought of.

But I LOVE the stream idea, I think that will be my next base!

*Edit

I had a think on how to do this and decided because of the nature of the mantic bases, a straight river would be best, and due to my monetary restrictions, making the river from green stuff and trying to paint it convincingly was the way forward. 

Here's a shot of where I'm up to:










Greenstuff is in place and I've added some revenants rising from the water.

I've never painted water before so tips to make it look realistic or things I could add would be appreciated.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Really awesome stuff here Reap! I go away from the net for a few days and look what I miss. Love the skellies and the work on the bases is just great. keep up the good work man!


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

That was fast :shok:
I am very impressed.

About water;

Adding some branches, stones, skelli-horsehead etc in the water for effect later, because painting water is a bitch. I would use brown and greenish coluors with swirls in the water after the figures and stones etc, as it gives an impression of movement. And then give it some gloss afterwards. Likewise the clothes on the undead, give them a darker colour to look soaked.
GW used to make a "Water Effects" products and did have a tuturial on the homepage but it seems to be gone. But i also remember seing something in a WD about this. Maybe someone else know what issue.

Looking forward to see the result.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Just saw this on Warseer: 










I will definitely be picking this up for my board!


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Glad you posted that, I will be getting one as well! 

As for your mini's great stuff as usuall. Like the use of the skellies coming out of the water.


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## Medic Marine (Jun 28, 2009)

You could have a based littered with slain bodies like that of you army and pose the rest as if freshly risen. Just a thought. Love the log keep it coming!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Disciple_of_Ezekiel said:


> Glad you posted that, I will be getting one as well!
> 
> As for your mini's great stuff as usuall. Like the use of the skellies coming out of the water.





Medic Marine said:


> You could have a based littered with slain bodies like that of you army and pose the rest as if freshly risen. Just a thought. Love the log keep it coming!


Cheers guys.

I've got a base with a dead dude on it and will be incorporating more dead bodies onto the bases.


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Woodland Sceniocs has a couple water products. The water effects ius basically a gloss medium. It might be hard with that to get a smooth surface. I have used it fr ripples and wsmall waves since it is very thick and holds its shape. Realist water is a pourable water that hardens in like 24 hours. You would have to build a dam out of modeling clay around the area you wanted water to stay to use it, though.

Maybe just use a gloss varnish after you get it painted the way you want? I would definately do a few practice runs on some plasticard or card until I was happy with the water painting.

Really nice work Reaper, great story and 'life' to these undead minis.


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## Medic Marine (Jun 28, 2009)

imm0rtal reaper said:


> Cheers guys.
> 
> I've got a base with a dead dude on it and will be incorporating more dead bodies onto the bases.


I should expand that idea, an elite unit would look good as if you have raised what your undead just slaughtered. Much like the elves but actually wanting them, would be a fun base with dead undead and mixed bodies of those they over ran and some getting up to refill the ranks. Might be an intresting contrast and help define a special unit. :victory:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

*+The following is an extract from the notes of the scholar, Jorge Eli+*

“I recovered this account of the battle of Iso shortly after interview professor Erik. It is a single page (double sided) from the diary of a warrior who was in attendance during the battle. It is one of the few genuine accounts from the time left in existence. We still have many copies and transcriptions that survived the great fire, but genuine pieces such as this are rare. It is important then, that pieces such as this one be preserved.”

______________________




KjellThorngaard said:


> Woodland Sceniocs has a couple water products. The water effects ius basically a gloss medium. It might be hard with that to get a smooth surface. I have used it fr ripples and wsmall waves since it is very thick and holds its shape. Realist water is a pourable water that hardens in like 24 hours. You would have to build a dam out of modeling clay around the area you wanted water to stay to use it, though.
> 
> Maybe just use a gloss varnish after you get it painted the way you want? I would definately do a few practice runs on some plasticard or card until I was happy with the water painting.
> 
> Really nice work Reaper, great story and 'life' to these undead minis.


I'm thinking of going the varnish route after painting it a browny green. Then I'll probably give the water revenants a wash of a brown/green/gloss mix to make them look all wet, but I'll do a test for both the water and the models first. I'm also thinking once the paint is all dry of adding some brown brush bristles in clumps to the edges for reeds. That should also help the effect along. 



Medic Marine said:


> I should expand that idea, an elite unit would look good as if you have raised what your undead just slaughtered. Much like the elves but actually wanting them, would be a fun base with dead undead and mixed bodies of those they over ran and some getting up to refill the ranks. Might be an intresting contrast and help define a special unit. :victory:


I think I understand you know, and that could be quite cool for sure!



Ok guys, as those of you who follow my other logs will know, I like to let you guys know of my plans quite far in advance, usually through hints (not always very subtle ones) hidden in prose pieces. Well today I've gone the extra mile to create a prose piece for you (the one that Jorge Eli mentioned above). Follow the link at the bottom of the post and download the PDF for the best effect. And I hope you enjoy it. 

+Rep to the first person to get the hint. 


Link


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hey guys, got an update for you. I’ve finished my first full base of zombies and done a couple more bases. 

On to pictures: 


















































































C&C Welcome


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

loving the bases Reap! Painting on the models is really nice too but the scenic bases really make these units stand out. Good work mate!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

I've had an idea for the water on the revenant base! I was looking at my paint water that hasn't been changed in about two weeks and thought it looked pretty good for dirty river water. I I'm going to try and mix the paint water with some PVA glue to make a coloured paste that should dry a bit glossy, and then I can varnish it afterwards. I've got nothing to test it on though so it will be a make or break thing :grin:


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## Go0se (Apr 14, 2010)

These are looking great mate. I particulary like the bases!


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## slaaneshy (Feb 20, 2008)

A great blog - +rep!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Go0se said:


> These are looking great mate. I particulary like the bases!





slaaneshy said:


> A great blog - +rep!


Thanks guys. 


A text update today (boo!)

The undead have had next to no progress, I've spent most of my time working, writing or working on some test minis for the project after this one. 

I have however, been doing a fuck ton of research and thinking for the water for the revenant base. And I think I've finally come to a conclusion. 

If I want my water to look good and not like shit I'll need to spend the money and get decent materials. And also, the more I think about it, the more I don't think the current base setup will work to create the illusion of true depth. So, I'm going to scrap the half of the base with GS on it and mount the front ten bases on a piece of 2mm plasticard. This will make the river roughly 5mm from base to top.Then this is what I plan on doing:


Step 1: Paint the river bed. I considered a dark green/brown mix for the centre, making it lighter towards the edge and blending it into the riverbanks. But (in the last few hours) I've decided to scrap that idea. I'm going to texture the base of the river with some sand and rocks, and maybe some skulls that will show in the water. I will then paint it scorched brown followed by graveyard earth and bleached bone drybrushes. I will also add the painted revenants at this stage. 

Step 2: I will then use Acrylic Glazing Liquid, which as far as I can tell, is exactly the same as the realistic water from woodland scenics, to give the river a watery look. I will tint the water with a drop of thrakka green and devlan mud, which should dirty the water but leave it clear enough to see some of the riverbed textures. 

Step 3: Next I'll use the water effects from woodland scenics to create water flow, adding ripples and movement around the models and rocks. 

Step 4: Lastly I'll add some reeds and foliage around the banks of the river. 

Hopefully that will work and make the base look really nice. Once I'm back in Cardiff and have the water materials I'll do some tests using the underside of some spare bases.


As a last little bit, head over HERE  to read my recently published fan fiction piece for Mantic Games!

Cheers folks!


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

a question, are the walls and fences broken between bases, if not; how are you going to remove "dead" models?

other that that; lovely work


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

khrone forever said:


> a question, are the walls and fences broken between bases, if not; how are you going to remove "dead" models?
> 
> other that that; lovely work


I _think_ I understand what you mean. The walls and fences that span two bases do have a gap between them, but when lined up, they still look like a single fence/wall etc. 

As for "dead" models, in Kings of war, you don't remove individual casualties. You accumulate damage points until the entire unit is gone. I'll likely represent this either with dice, or just by plucking out a model for each damage point (all the models are left removable from the square bases)


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

ok, that makes sense


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Your water plan sounds like a winner. I would practice it, though so your dream becomes reality without trashing a nearly finished base. can't wait to see the finished product.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

KjellThorngaard said:


> Your water plan sounds like a winner. I would practice it, though so your dream becomes reality without trashing a nearly finished base. can't wait to see the finished product.


I plan on practising the water for sure. I'll just flip a couple of 40mm bases upside down, texture them and see what I can come up with!


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

imm0rtal reaper said:


> I plan on practising the water for sure. I'll just flip a couple of 40mm bases upside down, texture them and see what I can come up with!


I think that is a very good idea. I have always regarded water as the most difficult thing to do of all modelling. So i am looking forward to see what you come up with Reaper . Some snazzy technique i can "borrow" :biggrin:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Zodd said:


> I think that is a very good idea. I have always regarded water as the most difficult thing to do of all modelling. So i am looking forward to see what you come up with Reaper . Some snazzy technique i can "borrow" :biggrin:


Rest assured, if it works I'll be posting up a tutorial on it :wink:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Using my powers of necromancy, I bring this log back from the dead! 

With this year's army being Samurai I thought it was important to crack on and get the undead finished before they become another aborted project. So my goal is to paint about *ponders* 200 models in about two months. Totally doable right? 

Well, here's the first finished regiment of skellies:







































All the rat dogs will get primed during my next undercoating session 


I've also finished the first of the revenant cavalry, and have another 4 in the works: 





































Still to finish I've got:

60+ zombies
40 skellies
40+ Revenants
5 Cavalry
30 archers
A swathe of characters

As always, C&C is appreciated folks.

Cheers


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

200 models in 2 months..... insanity! good luck with that one brother.

The skellies are looking good though, love the blues.


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

you are crazy reaper, crazy but awsome


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> 200 models in 2 months..... insanity! good luck with that one brother.
> 
> The skellies are looking good though, love the blues.





khrone forever said:


> you are crazy reaper, crazy but awsome


Chances are I'll get no where near the 200 mark, but if you're going to aim, aim high right? 

I've almost finished the first unit of skelly bowmen. Should put the final touches to them by tomorrow :grin:


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

Skellies in bright colors :shok:

Fantastic idea :victory: 

And I believe You can do 200 in 2 months. Go for it !

Have some rep

* and now, The Samurais *


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

imm0rtal reaper said:


> I've almost finished the first unit of skelly bowmen. Should put the final touches to them by tomorrow :grin:


No modelling stuff was done during the daylight hours, had a presentation in uni. And my daylight bulbs have all died (4 blown in lest than a week, in two different lamps, it's like some sort of conspiracy)
So this evening is being put to assembly. Then adding sand to bases ready to prime tomorrow. 




Zodd said:


> Skellies in bright colors :shok:
> Fantastic idea :victory:
> And I believe You can do 200 in 2 months. Go for it !
> Have some rep
> * and now, The Samurais *


Bright skellies for the win! 

I'm going to make it a rule that nothing unpainted goes in my display cabinet, which means almost all the undead in there will have to come out onto my painting desk, that should help things along. 

In addition to the two units talked about yesterday, I've almost finished another skeleton regiment and another unit of bowmen, should hopefully finish both of them tomorrow then paint more cavalry Sunday. We'll see what life throws at me this weekend :wink:

I'm managing to get boring stuff like basecoating and post-basecoat cleanup done in-between matches of gears 3 and battlefield in the evenings, which means come daytime, it's all about the details.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Dun dun dun duuuuuuu!

Picture time kiddies:

Revenant Cavalry 





































The champion rider will be painted this weekend, and I've got some autum foliage coming on my next wayland order to add to the whole order along with some various grasses.

Archers:





































I know I've cheated a little bit, but I had these GW skellies lying around and it was either this or spend like another £20 on a unit that's not even that effective in game, so I opted for this route 

C&C welcome!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking good mate! Though the Revenant on the far right in the first photo seems to be having a hard time keeping it up.... his lance that is. In all seriousness I am loving the quality of your bone color. Mind giving us a break down as I have some skellies coming up in an upcoming commission?


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Looking good mate! Though the Revenant on the far right in the first photo seems to be having a hard time keeping it up.... his lance that is. In all seriousness I am loving the quality of your bone color. Mind giving us a break down as I have some skellies coming up in an upcoming commission?


Don't draw attention to it, he's sensitive!

It's real simple:

Dheneb stone base
Generous devlan mud wash.
Highlight back up to stone with mud in the recesses. 

Nothing magical, just simple


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

MOAR pictures!

Second regiment of skellies is all done:





































I'm particularly pleased with the banner:










I think it makes the banner pole look a lot more interesting.

And here's a shot of both regiments together:










On the table today, cavalry and archers. I've got a friend coming over so much painting will be done! Might even be able to convince her to play a game of K.o.W :grin:

C&C welcome.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

I really, really, love your skeletons. The bright blue and red sets them off very well against the bone colours. Top stuff, have some rep.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Digg40k said:


> I really, really, love your skeletons. The bright blue and red sets them off very well against the bone colours. Top stuff, have some rep.


Cheers pal  

It is a very nice kit to work with. And it's really easy to make them look really good en mass without having to spend _that_ much time on them. Which is good, because I still have like 100 to paint including revenants :S


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Update! 

I've finally! finished the revenant cavalry regiment (other than a few minor touch ups on the banner and unit filler)





































And a filler made from one of the perry miniature casualty models:










I'm really pleased with how these guys came out, and I think the clump foliage on the bases works nicely too :grin:

I also got a mounted banner bearer and necromancer done too:





































This kit bashed necromancer will get replaced eventually, once I find a suitable alternative, then I'll just turn him into another banner bearer 





































I ALSO finished another unit of bowmen:





































I've also added an updated photo to the OP showing where the army currently stands 

As always, C&C is most welcome!


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## Kobrakai (Jul 25, 2008)

These guys are looking great reaper!

I have been looking into Mantic stuff, I might well get some myself!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking great Reap!!!!!! I am loving the color scheme more and more.


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## TheReverend (Dec 2, 2007)

man, this is great, I'm loving this undead hoard!! and bases show them off really well. I love the colour scheme and the modelling

Rev


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Kobrakai said:


> These guys are looking great reaper!
> 
> I have been looking into Mantic stuff, I might well get some myself!





Midge913 said:


> Looking great Reap!!!!!! I am loving the color scheme more and more.





TheReverend said:


> man, this is great, I'm loving this undead hoard!! and bases show them off really well. I love the colour scheme and the modelling
> 
> Rev


Cheers guys  It's finally starting to feel like I have a horde of these buggers


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

I've finally finished the first regiment of revenants (the ones I started last summer )
I got rid of the big skull though, just looked odd :haha:





































C&C Welcome!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking really great Reap!!! The blues stand out really well.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

A WIPpy today folks :grin:

I've been hard at work, building scores of the undead, planning unit bases and spending money I don't have on new units 

The first thing I have to show you, a reborn attempt at the water base (B&W makes it a bit easier to see):



















Once the GS is dry, I'll be sanding the edges smooth and then applying basing materials. Then once the base is painted, I'll add the half revenants, block off the sides and pour the water 

The other preview I have today, is another Army standard made from skellie bits and parts from Warlord Games' swedish infantry set:










He'll be getting a tattered GS banner (something I've never done before, so I'm a bit nervous about it)

Things to expect this month:

Another 80 skellies/revenants
More archers 
ZOMBIES, zombies everywhere!
Something a little bit different. . .


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking forward to seeing that water base completed mate, should be very cool looking in the end.


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## CLT40k (Jun 18, 2010)

Nice work + rep... the bases for the undead unit are really cool... and I'm looking forward to seeing the water base too...


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

That base is looking interesting, can't wait to see it finished. It's also nice to see an undead army that's not dull and drab. Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't coordinate your colours.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Looking forward to seeing that water base completed mate, should be very cool looking in the end.





CLT40k said:


> Nice work + rep... the bases for the undead unit are really cool... and I'm looking forward to seeing the water base too...


I've ordered some realistic water, but it's coming from the US so will take a while to arrive I assume. This unit should be done by months end though. 



Khorne's Fist said:


> That base is looking interesting, can't wait to see it finished. It's also nice to see an undead army that's not dull and drab. Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't coordinate your colours.


I know right! Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't look good 

As a treat and to add some perspective on where I'm at with the army, here's a shot of everything I have built painted:










Note, there are eight painted units in this shot. Five of those have been painted since the start of this year, and half of two of the others on top of that. I didn't realise I'd painted quite that much until now 

For those interested, this army comes to just over 2000 points as it is, but I've plans to add another 1000 points in the coming months. And after that, I'll be looking at some allies :wink:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Quite impressive the amount of stuff you have gotten done in just a couple of weeks mate! Loving the look of this army and I can't wait to watch it expand.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

*swoosh* Update!

Finished the second Revenant regiment as planned:





































Detail, samurai about to be executed:










With this unit finished, there is now only one thing in my entire display cabinet not painted, the third skellie archer unit, so I'll be taking them out and finishing them off tonight :biggrin: 

C&C welcome!


*EDIT

Took this shot and thought it looked cool:










Updated the first post with a new army photo also!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Love the samurai on a stick!!! These guys are really looking fantastic Reap!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

_
‘There is only one reliable thing about a ghoul, that they’re totally unreliable! They’re as likely to leave as soon as the battle is joined as they are to engage. But when they do join the battle, they’re ferocious. When you hire these creatures with the promise of flesh, you cannot factor them in to your strategy, for they are unpredictable. You must always however, have a contingency plan to deal with them if they get out of control. 

That’s why many won’t even consider them as an ally in battle. I guess I like the excitement.’

-Nalgar Dragon Heart, Liche King on the use of ghouls. _

Update!

I painted five ghouls last night, now I won't be using ghouls in the game, but mixing the models amongst the zombies for more of a combined horde feel.





































I'm really quite pleased with how they turned out, I think they really stand out and will help add some much needed brightness to the zombie units. 

As always folks, C&C is most welcome!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Nice dead flesh tone mate! My only comment would be that the bloody parts look a little fresh for the palor in the skin tone. I would darken those to show that the blood has clotted and been exposed to the air for the same amount of time that the skintone shows that they have been dead.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Nice dead flesh tone mate! My only comment would be that the bloody parts look a little fresh for the palor in the skin tone. I would darken those to show that the blood has clotted and been exposed to the air for the same amount of time that the skintone shows that they have been dead.


Strictly speaking, the ghouls aren't dead, they're just deranged cannibals that get perverted into the necromancer/liche's service. 

But I do see what you mean with the blood, I've given those areas a devlan mud wash just to darken them a bit


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hmmm, 

I'm wondering whether to make the pale skinned ghouls my zombies. I really like how they look and think I'd prefer 200 of these bright darlings to the drab ones I've currently got. 

LET THE PICTURES SPEAK:

Zeds










Ghouls










What do you think folks. Should I repaint my brown zombies into pale zombies?


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Personally I think you should use both. In an army of undead you are going to have zeds of varying decomposition and age and I think that the different skin tones work well together and compliment each other nicely. It also gives a bit of variation to the zombies when they are all put next to each other.


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

Keep them different. They probably come from different "sources", so not having the same shades, just makes the impression stronger of a brought together undead army, imho.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

UPDATE!!!

Progress has slowed to a crawl (I seemed to have burnt myself out painting wise) but I'm still getting stuff done. 

The undead recently moved to the top spot in my cabinet, replacing my red scorpions, which have now been put away. Nalgar's forces that are unpainted also occupy the second shelf too. 

I've also been going through my model collection trying to find anything and everything I can use in this army. And I found a vampire lord! 





































For those who don't know, it's prince the Imrahil from the LotR range that came in the old magazines. 

The pictures aren't amazing, damn his shiny armour, but you get the idea. 
Vampires are freakin' devastating in kings of war, they put out so much damage, but the vampire lord also costs more than 3 necromancers 
I would like to field a unit of soul reavers though (vampire cavalry) and if/when I do, I'll probably use the morgul knights from GW as I don't like the current mantic minis for them. 

As always, C&C welcome!


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## Skari (Dec 20, 2011)

Love the work here. I shall follow this with much anticipation for what is to follow.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Skari said:


> Love the work here. I shall follow this with much anticipation for what is to follow.


Thank you kind sir :grin:

I've got another army standard bearer on the table at the minute, I'm also preparing the revenant base for application of water effects over the weekend. I still need to figure out what to use to seal the edges of the base while I'm pouring the realistic water. suggestions?


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Another update folks. Finished another army standard:





































My next batch of skeletons will be getting some of those quartered scheme shields mixed in to add a little more variety. 

C&C welcome!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

No replies  That's fine, I'll just bombard you with MOAR pictures!

Finished the revenant base. I couldn't find a way to make a waterproof seal around the edges so the water isn't as deep as I wanted it, but I still think it looks pretty good overall :grin:














































I know the side edges look a little rough but hopefully that's not what people will focus on 

I also decided to paint up my old denethor model as a necromancer. It's only a 30 minute job so it's far from perfect, but he'll do as a place holder until something better comes along :grin:





































As always guys, C&C is welcomed and encouraged.

Until next time!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Sorry mate that I failed to post. I did see your banner bearer a day or so ago. I love the colors and the halved scheme works really well on the banner itself, but I can't help but think that it is looking a bit plain. Do you have a plan for a freehand or transfers that would break up the surface of the banner front?

As far as the Revenant base it is looking smexy!!!! The water effects are going to be the icing on the cake so to speak. I really can't wait to see that one finished up!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Sorry mate that I failed to post. I did see your banner bearer a day or so ago. I love the colors and the halved scheme works really well on the banner itself, but I can't help but think that it is looking a bit plain. Do you have a plan for a freehand or transfers that would break up the surface of the banner front?
> 
> As far as the Revenant base it is looking smexy!!!! The water effects are going to be the icing on the cake so to speak. I really can't wait to see that one finished up!


Ideally I want to add some sort of symbol of something to all the banners and most of the shields once I find something suitable.

And the Revenant base is finished. As I said, the realistic water isn't nearly as deep as I wanted  But I'm still pretty pleased with it. If I could afford to, I'd buy some water effects to create the effect of motion on the water surface, but for now, the base is finished.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Missed that in the first sentence. All the same the base looks great!


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## Carna (Mar 13, 2008)

Looks fantastic! I've heard people use masking tape along the edges when using water effects, you could try that out?


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Carna said:


> Looks fantastic! I've heard people use masking tape along the edges when using water effects, you could try that out?


Thanks!

I tried tape, boxing it off with lego, blu tac walls, more tape, MOAR tape. But I couldn't create a waterproof seal 

Oh well, as I said, I'm still pretty pleased with it.


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Immortal- Model railroaders use clear silicone caulking to seal areas for pouring resin water. Usually they tape a piece of styrene in place then run a bead of caulk along the terrain edge where it meets the styrene. Let it cure then pour the resin. When it is all done the clear caulk blends in and isn't noticed at all. 

Just FYI. I haven't done it myself, but I will when I get around to pouring water in the flooded fields on my Uth Beach board.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Finished the water revenants, I held out painting them so I could enter them into the army painting competition 





































As always, C&C welcome!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Ladies and gentlemen, for your viewing pleasure, I present Nalgar, Dragon Heart, Lich King


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## elmir (Apr 14, 2011)

Looks great man, The armor came out really well on this model.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

I've a treat for you kiddies! 

Decided to paint a batch of wraiths to see what the scheme came out like, and I'm really pleased with it. 

I undercoated the models black and then skull white from the top, leaving some black underneath, then I washed them thrakka green! 10 guys probably took 20 minutes minus drying time. Sort of makes me wish I had a wraith army. . . 




























These pictures are a little flooded with light so some of the shadows aren't showing properly, but I still think for the time investment, they look great!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Indeed they do look great! Wonderful effect with a quick turn around.


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

Thanks for giving a quick way to do a Cyan-ghost colour!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Indeed they do look great! Wonderful effect with a quick turn around.





Orochi said:


> Thanks for giving a quick way to do a Cyan-ghost colour!


Cheers guys.

I've got at least two more units of wraiths to paint (when I can be bothered assembling them) but I may leave them and use them for the army challenge on months where I don't think I'll have the time to paint regular guys :wink:


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

Hey, thats rather nice and effective . Are there a little "green" light on the bases maybe, like the wraights radiating evil ? k:


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## Stuntiesrule (Mar 22, 2009)

Love the effect you achieve of men coming up out of the ground.


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## Red Corsairs (Jun 8, 2008)

Great job on the wraiths mate. I painted some of my ghosts with a similar scheme and I have to say yours look great, much smoother than mine turned out.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Zodd said:


> Hey, thats rather nice and effective . Are there a little "green" light on the bases maybe, like the wraights radiating evil ? k:


I was going to add some cotton to represent a sort of mist, but I like how they look as is! 



Stuntiesrule said:


> Love the effect you achieve of men coming up out of the ground.





Red Corsairs said:


> Great job on the wraiths mate. I painted some of my ghosts with a similar scheme and I have to say yours look great, much smoother than mine turned out.


Cheers guys,

Some of them are a little spotty where the spray has misted (I hate white spray) but overall, it came out pretty well.


EDIT:

Here's a little teaser for my newest project:


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Greetings!

I finished my last thing for uni yesterday so finally have time to devote to the hobby again. 

I picked up another of mantic's crazy bags and swapped out what I didn't want which means I've got another 100 skeletons to add to the army :grin:

So thought I'd show my progress on the latest unit, skelligaru:




































































































They're made from a combination of mantic and wargames factory bits. The ones in armour are obviously ashigaru, but the ones that use mantic bodies will be rice farmers and the like. I'll be painting this unit in the colours of my samurai as a change. I also haven't decided whether I'll leave them all together, or disperse them amongst the other skellies in the army. 

C&C welcome!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

MOAR skellies:


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

I liek those wraiths alot. You quick guide to speed-painting wraiths is helpful and I will be stealin' thta when I start a VC army of my own. They look like you spent a whole lot more time on them than you did. Necely done!

I have a little comment on the skellies coming out of the water. From the pics it is hard to see the water. Is it tinted at all, or just clear? A little wash of color to make the water stand out a bit might be helpful. Otherwise you took an interesting comment and made it work.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

KjellThorngaard said:


> I liek those wraiths alot. You quick guide to speed-painting wraiths is helpful and I will be stealin' thta when I start a VC army of my own. They look like you spent a whole lot more time on them than you did. Necely done!
> 
> I have a little comment on the skellies coming out of the water. From the pics it is hard to see the water. Is it tinted at all, or just clear? A little wash of color to make the water stand out a bit might be helpful. Otherwise you took an interesting comment and made it work.


Thanks pal. 

The water is clear, and it quite hard to make out in pictures. It's much easier in person but I couldn't get it as deep as I would have liked.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Loving the new skellies Reap!!! As always the red and blue work really well against the bone. Nice work. 

I am also interested to see what is going on with your new project. I can't quite make out what it is from the teaser picture.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Loving the new skellies Reap!!! As always the red and blue work really well against the bone. Nice work.
> 
> I am also interested to see what is going on with your new project. I can't quite make out what it is from the teaser picture.


The teaser is for this little fella: 










Mantic corporation troopers. Picked up an army box weeks ago. It'll be a while before I start on them full force though, got lots of undead, and then zombicide to tackle first (and depending on the quality of the sculpts, I may do an all mounted samurai army [which would just look fucking boss!])


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hey guys, finished more skellies! 





































My inspiration certainly faltered on these guys, having painted well over 100 now is taking its toll. Still have over 100 to go though. . . 

C&C always welcome!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Still love them mate! I love the blues in contrast to the bone, well done.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> Still love them mate! I love the blues in contrast to the bone, well done.


Thanks Midge! 

I'm probably going to take a week off from these guys, box them away out of sight and work on some other projects I have planned (including two new *logs *coming this summertime). 

After this month, I've promised myself I'm not buying any more minis in 2012, I need to get what I have either finished, or *sell it*.


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Greetings folks, time for another update. 

I've had very little motivation for the undead the last month or so, I've painted so many skeletons now that they've become quite the chore. So I took a break from the undead to work on some other things, including some human units in preparation for my celestial army next year:



















I'm really looking forward to all my new goodies in the new year and am really pleased with how the colour scheme is looking. 

In undead news, I went to the works the other day and picked up this beauty:










With a 10.5 inch wingspan, this bad boy should make an excellent centrepiece to the army. I have pinned the rider so I can add a human on there and use the dragon in both armies. 

I'm going to do a colour scheme similar to this: 









As always, C&C is most welcome!


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

I really like the paint scheme on your knights too, does they grey horse need more highlighting or is it just the photo playing games?

Love the dragon too, where is he from?


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hellados said:


> I really like the paint scheme on your knights too, does they grey horse need more highlighting or is it just the photo playing games?
> 
> Love the dragon too, where is he from?


Little bit of both, there are highlights. But I was sick of painting horses so they didn't get as many layers as I would normally do. 

The dragon is from these guys: http://www.famemaster.com/products_1.asp?id=106 he's the ardent dragon.


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

thanks for the quick reply, I painted some white horses for my empire amry and they were SO much harder then i thought they would be but it's worth it in the end 

My Orks too, I'm planning on going back over every single ork to add more layers once they're all done


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hellados said:


> thanks for the quick reply, I painted some white horses for my empire amry and they were SO much harder then i thought they would be but it's worth it in the end
> 
> My Orks too, I'm planning on going back over every single ork to add more layers once they're all done


I'll probably go back and some more to them in a few months, but at the moment, I can't even think to bring myself to paint another horse 


Also, something different; I just launched my new writing blog at http://www.anthonycerrato.com/

If anyone is interested in writing, or just wants to read my ramblings, please head on over and subscribe, I'd really appreciate it


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Well, the dragon is done for the time being. I'm not entriely happy with the wings but I'll come back to them at a later date (maybe) He's shown here with a human rider, but a necromancer will be painted up to sit on top of him.




























These pictures have come out pretty terrible. My camera really doesn't like taking shots of red things on that red chair. I did try a few on a white background but those came out bad too. I'll take some new shots in a week's time when I get out my entire undead army to photograph together.


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

Amazing alternative kit of a dragon. And your paintjob is significantly better than the boxart imho. +rep


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Hot diggity damn folks, it's been a while. 

So, while heresy was on holiday what have I been up to? Not a great deal to be honest. Most of my time has been spent painting zombicide, but I have made a start on a new unit for my undead: 










The idea behind this base is that the metal chap (Isildur from the LotR line) will be stood atop a hill cutting down the swathes of zombies in a heroic last stand. I've been sculpting a hill from polyfilla and hard as nails and the foundation is almost there. Once it's sanded, had some accessories strewn about it, it should look quite nice. 

And so that you don't feel cheated out of a real update, here are zombicide minis: 




























And some hasslefree survivors:





























*Edit: 

Started having a play with the configuration of the piece, getting a feel for how the minis are going to interact with one another. Started off just piling them on there and seeing what I ended up with:









Sorry for the blurry photo 

An "action" shot










After staring at it for a minute I felt there wasn't a clear enough direction to the horde, no "front" so to speak. So I decided to make the minis that weren't on the hill all face forward and thin out the ones behind the warrior. 









I apologise for the shaky pictures, I'll grab some better ones tomorrow (maybe)

In the fluff, this will be a High Marshal of the Order of Marius (my celestial force) who is killed during a battle against the undead. I'm going to add some slain warriors of minas tirith around the hill, broken spears shields and battlefield debris. I'm also thinking of sculpting in some little pools to put some water effects down to make puddles (maybe have a corpse near one so it's all bloody :crazy


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

So, I was adding some more details to the base when I realised I'd cocked up. A horde should be 10 bases across and 4 deep, this tray is 8 across 5 deep. Same number of "bases" but not game legal. I know I'd have no issues with this when playing with friends, but it means I couldn't take the base to a tournament (which I'm unlikely to do anyway) 

So, I've added a couple of warriors, debris and a dead horse 










Once the hard as nails is dry I'll add some sand and rocks and start figuring out how I'm actually going to fix the minis to the base


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Finished the zombies:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

that is a really nice little diorama piece Reap! Turned out great!


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Do the individual zeds come off that base? How do you plan to mark casualties if the don't? That is a really, really, cool diorama/horde base. Definately an idea I will stash for later use. Nice work Reaper!


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Midge913 said:


> that is a really nice little diorama piece Reap! Turned out great!





KjellThorngaard said:


> Do the individual zeds come off that base? How do you plan to mark casualties if the don't? That is a really, really, cool diorama/horde base. Definately an idea I will stash for later use. Nice work Reaper!


Cheers guys. Kjell, in Kings of War individual casualties aren't removed so it's no problem, all your units can be mega dioramas


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Happy new year one and all. I apologise for my lessened presence these last few months, I've just started a new job and have barely had a day off in like 7 weeks. But I have been slowly painting more undead, including this fellow:





































I will be using this as a mhorgoth the faceless stand in. It really is an awesome miniature, so huge. It towers over all others as befits the greatest necromancer who has ever lived. 

This month I'll be painting up a unit of soul reaver cavalry using perry men at arms. I've also still got something like 100 skeletons to finished, but lord knows when I'll get around to them 

C&C is, as always, welcome.


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## Gothic (May 12, 2008)

Good to see you back reaper and a happy new year to you too...dd you get my pm and also I've ordered the undead warhost along with a dwarves warhost


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Gothic said:


> Good to see you back reaper and a happy new year to you too...dd you get my pm and also I've ordered the undead warhost along with a dwarves warhost


I did, I've been swamped with work and illness (huzzah for being in hospital for an ailment that can't be diagnosed!)

I've just finished a unit of soul reaver cavalry:





































These guys were good fun to paint, I'm really happy with how the gold turned out. They're also really powerful in game, which is always a plus. 

C&C is welcome and encouraged


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Guess who's back?!

Where have the last 7 months gone? I apologise for the serious lack of updates for the undead. After painting so many of them I'd grown tired of them and took a much needed break. 

But i'm back. I recently received part 2 of my mantic kickstarter pledge, which contained a set of the new werewolves. I admit that when I first saw the pictures I wasn't impressed, but when I had the models in hand I thought they looked great. I'll probably pick up some more at some point too. 































































































































Overall I'm reasonably pleased with how they turned out. They're pretty quick paintjobs too. I'm pleased with the bases also, I've been adding a lot more foliage and life to my bases to make them a little more interesting, and think it works well. 

Next up I have the unit of skeletal samurai on the table so expect them soon! 

C&C always welcome!


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