Battle report: Cryx vs Khador

Since oldie Warmachine is back in action again (you might have noticed recently Privateer Press stuff got pile of shame rescuing priority) my One True Foe and I decided to bring some full metal minis to the gaming bunker for 50 points skirmish battle, on ancient dragons boneyard. 

To be honest it was kinda special event:

not only it's been ages since we were playing Warmachine, but also most or my opponent's army has actually been painted! Not by himself, but apart from Doom Reavers squad and a war dog, whole army was properly painted, based etc. Because of that I decided such a special battle also deserved special setting. For years I was looking for any idea what to do with these old bones, and as it turned out - these are great dead ancient dragnon's skull proxy 😁

It's been lots of fun - hope to play some more Warmachine soon, especially because I've been working on another pair of Deathripper bonejacks recently...

So here they are: both armies circling around ancient dragon's remains trying to get opportunity to strike:

Scrap thrall got itself under deadly Spriggan's grenades volley:

Cryx advancing:

Kodiak taking defensive measures against Reaper's harpoon:

Cryx's steel fist turned into heaps of scorching metal after Butcher's furious charge:

The final duel: this time Asphyxious was much better swords... eee... eee... forksman! 

Pics enchanced by my One True Foe - looking forward for re-match so I can hopefully see burning Khador junk!

Undead legionnaire (gift bit)

Looks like one more restless dead has just decided to leave the painting station looking for new home! 💀

I think there's proper time, place and purpose for every model rotting in the pile of shame to be painted and apparently this one has been bound to end up as member of the souvenir squad. 

Just like the previously painted legionnaire-gift, I had lots of fun painting this one. Although the sculpt is from mid-90's I still think it's supercool model for painting even for modern standards: easy accesable with every painting tool and spiced with juicy details, like cyber-enchantments or half face torn off. I'd really like to leark who made the model - whole line of oldie undead legionnaires (like these ones for example) is simply brilliant!

While I was working on it went back to high school time, when Warzone was still alive and operational. Of course, back days models were mostly crappy painted (if painted at all), and since we were just kids itn still early re-born Poland - there were much less minis around. These were just pretty expensive compared to our budgets (and I don't even mean Games Workshop stuff, which back days was already fuc#ing overpriced). Nevertheless we were having lots of fun running battles leading crappy armies on crappy battlefields (sticks from park as fallen trees, pile of books under green cloth as hill or even some toilet paper as running stream 😊 ).

Yeah, it was ton of crap but it was also ton of fun.

Cannot remember when was the last time I was remembering these oldie "Warzone times" but I am surely glad they re-appeared while painting the model. It's good to know there's old ghost sitting on one's shoulder, reappearing when least expected just take a look and remind it's still there 👻

Hope the model arrives undamaged and the recipient likes it. Also hope to get better background for post-apo / sci-fi models: that city park in the back is starting pissing me off...

Cryx Seether #2

One more Cryx beast has just left painting station, ready to wreak havoc in the name of Lord Toruk!

It's always nice to add another model to the painted pile, it's double nice to support beloved army with one more killing machine, but the best thing is - it's the first Seether I painted so far which I really like! And it's most probably the 4th variant of this piece and probably it's not over - the previous version most probably sooner or taker will get fresh paintjob... 🙄

Funny thing about this model: it's based on the same chassis / hull / skeleton as Slayer and Reaper helljacks - which are both brilliant sculpts but Seether is kinda odd... No idea why - my guess is it's the matter of the "hood" which makes it goofy. Anyway I painted it several times before and it's the first time I am satisfied. I think part of success is the pose: the model is second hand piece, it's been cut and reposiotioned before so I had to make special base to prevent it from falling - and make it look kinda like charging. I didn't like original head so it's been replaced with plastic Slayer's bit.

As for colors I chose well tested light olive colro combo. I must say I like it much better then "original" painting. Somehow I cannot paint really dark models so they look nice enough to keep them.

See? About to perform head-butt power 

Fratricidal melee about to start:

And some more scale shots: below - Seether about to feed on bile thralls necroburgers: 

And here - about to be possessed by hungry machine wraiths:

Pistol Wraith (Cryx)

Last month a miracle happened: we had a Warmachine match! 😲

I am still impressed we've managed to assemble the game but definitely - my Cryx is hungry for more!

We played the latest edition - no back strikes, 360 degree line of sight, boosted warjacks etc. It was fine as game played after such a long break, but I think earlier version was much more "hardcore" so hope to dig out old rulebooks and give it a try. Anyway it was such a fun I decided to save some Cryx stuff from pile ov shame and the winner waaaaas... Pistol Wraith 👻

I remember that model was a blast when Escalation supplement was released - both as model and gaming unit. It was deadly on battlefield and I still consider it as one of the best and most characterful miniatures from Cryx line. There are some brilliant examples of painted miniatures in the webspace so my gaming model is no match for them, but I still like it and had lots of fun working on it. As for a base I used spare pile of skulls from screaming skull catapult and some placcy heads. I can actually imagine it haunting old battlefields, unable to leave unburied, restless bones. Or something.

So here it is. Hope to see it in action anytime soon.

Below: pistol wraith about to scratch Deathjack right between where it's eyes should be:

Here: some target practice in the city park with Mechanithralls:

And below - the only pic from recent game I've managed to get: Slayer and Reaper helljacks supported by Deathripper bonejack about to launch a charge against enemy Juggernaut (that was exactly the very same model I painted - I've almost cried while pulling it's arms off and ripping hull apart... Almost... 😁):

And next: something heavy... 🤖

Skeleton warriors (Highland Miniatures)

Painting skellies is kinda like knitting:

you get pissed - you paint some bones - you get better.

Too bad I didn't realize it bit earlier, but apparently better late then never.

Anyway last week I excavated another part of spoils of war looted during Oldhammer Weekend 2022: skeleton warriors unit from highland Miniatures range. Models look pretty cool: poses are different, proportions are correct - these guys definitely fit Warhammer range. There's one flaw though: since these are printed, they are also really fragile (those thin limbs and spears especially!). So fragile, several models arrived broken and it's even despite the fact they were pretty well packed. So yeah, if I could choose - purely of gaming purposes I'd pick plastic models instead of printed. Luckly I still had some spare limbs left by the previous boneheads unit, which added bit more vatiety to the freshly dug out death squad.

I have only 15 models from this line so I think these will be just support squad for the main unit or screaming skull catapult / second class character bodyguards. Of course - that is only in my head, because don't think there's even slighiest shade of chance these will move an inch after I put them in the display case hibernation chamber 😵

So here they are - corpses in the park. I think I've managed to adjust lighting a bit so photos turned out really decent:

And some scale shot: restless skeletons are defending city park against Dusk Realm Demon:

And here - skeletons supported by Mr Carstein himself and converted battle standard bearer are trying to convince chaos lord of Slaanesh city park and fresh grass is no place for heavy barded ponies:

Dwarf Slayer

One more old fart crossed off!

I am really glad it's not haunting me anymore, 'cause it spent last 3-4 years in washing liquid plus I really do not like the model ^^

As for the model itself - I got it second hand long time ago, and the plan was to paint it for gaming buddy. But after first painting attempt I realised I really, really do not like the sculpt so model ended up on the very bottom of Pile Ov Shame. It's spent several years in the hole, when I decided to wash it off off and give it another chance. I still didn't like the sculpt at all, so it spent few more years washing off instead of getting painted.

Until now.

It pisses me off there are still some miniatures waiting for Cthulhu knows what in the washing jar, so decision was made to save them all: one by one, starting with the piece I don't like the most ^^ Back days it was meant for souvenir, so it was painted as one - for the same buddy actually. He was Warhammer Game Master when we were still into RPG and was big fan of dwarves. Miniature's pose makes it kinda silly looking standing on ground level, among other rank and file models, but it's really cool leaping down. Decent material for display piece. So here it is: one more down, too many more to go:

And the scale shot - Mid Nor Scourge Bearer about to be decimated:

Sorscha Resin Kit

One more nightmare has just been saved from pile of shame! Woo-hoo! 🤩

This time it's not just a model but true blast the past: limited edition, large scale Kommander Sorscha from steam-punk commie line. Khador that is. 

That brings me back...

Back days we were really deep into Warmachine: when the game was released it immediately obliterated any other games we were running that moment. It was fast, dynamic and never boring. Plus models were so friggin' cool! Also somehow back days we had much more time to waste on gaming...
I liked it so much I was sending my stuff to No Quarter magazine (some of it was even printed) and really had lots of fun participating in Privateer Press painting contests. Which brings us to the Sorscha. If I remember correctly contest prizes were vouchers / Privateer Press bucks to be spent in online store, which were used to get limited resin models: Slayer and Forward Kommander Sorscha.

Slayer was painted long time ago (the model is brilliant) but I was really afraid of starting the other one: it's made of delicate resin so washing it would probably not an option plus back days painting such a colorful models really was not my thing. But having new display case I decided to give it a go.

Painting was pain in the ass mostly because model had to be painted unassembled (I really don't like it). Another thing was one of my airbrush paints was totally fuc#ed: for this model I ordered some fresh colors but one of them was so grainy it actually made texture on flat surface. No sh!t! You can actually still see it on loincloth (or whatever that red rag in the front is) and that's the reason I decided to apply some artifical snow - to distract the attention.

Privateer Press also released Warwitch Deneghra and Khador Juggernaut in large scale - I really regret I didn't manage to get them. Such pieces look really great placed behind the glass. Judge for yourself:

And here's Sorscha accompanied by her battlefield buddy - Slayer:

And one more scale shot: scrap thrall this time. Don't think that walking bomb was looking more cute ever before ☺️

Hope to find some more olddschool Privateer Press stuff to paint on the bottom of bucket of shame. Who knows, maybe one day Toruk's servants shall leave display case for battle once again...

Display case upgrade

Last week I've finally managed to drag new vault for the miniatures collection 🤗

In fact I bought it last year but wasn't sure where would I live in 2026 so it had to wait. It's not hobby dedicated display case, but spare piece from local computer shop. As you can see it's over twice size of classic Ikea's Detlof so finally I can put whole Undead, Chaos and Bolt Action armies on single shelves!

It didn't have working lighting so last weekend I got some parts and temporarly placed LED tapes in front corners. I still have to prepare some rails for it (light should spread more evenly) but it's cool already. Check it out: lights on (night):

And here the vault during day (lights off). Massive beast, ain't it? 😎

40M Nimrod

After  recent getting ass kicked by Soviet-o-French commie alliance, the high staff decided to work on some more Axis in my disposal, and looks like the only unit left from the range was 40M Nimrod SPAAG (self-propelled anti-aircraft gun). The model is 3D print I purchased together with CV-35 tankette and 39.M Csaba bundle, during painting Strategie painting contest.

It's printed model so it's much better quality compared to standard Warlord Games' resin casts but after getting it done I think if I could choose again I'd go for Warlord's version anyway. The model is pretty simple so don't think there's much difference between both wersions but most important: 

there's the crew in the Warlord's piece. Anti aircraft turret is large - it contains 4 men which looks just damn cool. Even though I like my painting, the model looks like the guys haven't manned it yet or even worse: failed morale check and run for the hills 😵.

As you notice model has front right mudguard missing - my cat knocked if off the desk, part of model broke off (missed in action forever) but it still looks like pretty believable battle damage. The "blanket" (or whatever it is) bit on the turret comes from other vehicle. It's not much painting work but makes plain model more interesting. The turret also got little magnet so it doesn't fall off during transportation or heat of the battle. 

The camo is the same style I applied on other Hungarian vehicles before - the final effect is just really cool and it's such a relief after painting all those United States models. Sadly don't think there'll be more coming - armored platoon is already full 😒

So here it is:

And some scale shot - US engineers about to stop Axis menace on a very far and forgotten front of war.

I think I will mail Warlord games and ask them to think about making proper scale tanks and vehicles. These are just way underscaled...