Eldar Painting Blog

[king88mob]

With all the photos i've been posting of my eldar in progress, i figured i might as well get a log going of all the ones i've finished so far. Hopefully i can get some comments / critiques and make the army overall that much better.

I decided to collect eldar after doing 2000 points of tyranids. I really love playing 'Nids, but hate painting them, so i took the easy route and just dipped them. The eldar i bought based on the awesomeness of the models, and they are mostly a painting project first and a playing army second.

Background:
Eldar based on Alatioc, with Rangers and Dire Avengers making up the majority of the troup choices.

<more fluff and info will be added as i get to it >

The two colours that i'm hoping will tie the army together are the Alatioc blue and the Copper, which is my cross to bear on this project it turns out (see the post below with the failed first attempt at warpspiders)

What i'm hoping to get painted in short order:
1 falcon (80% done)
weapons for 3 vypers (50% done)
5 Fire Dragons + 1 Exarch (1 fire Dragon Done)
9 Dire Avengers + 2 Exarchs (5 DA's done, 1 exarch Done)
10 Warp Spiders


Longer term
10 Rangers / Pathfinders (old models)
6 Harlequins
1 Farseer with Jetbike
1 falcon
1 Wraithlord
10 guardians with 1 heavy weapon platform (3 done)

Still sitting in their boxes
3 War Walkers
1 Wraithlord
Squad of Banshees
another Squad of Dire Avengers
3 Jet Bikes (1 will be used for the Farseer)
1 Autarch
1 Avatar
another vyper

on the wishlist
2 wave serpents
more harlequins
new models of the Rangers
2 fire prisms


I'll add one post to this blog per unit type...

[king88mob]

First up: Dire Avengers. Completed so far:
5 Dire Avengers
1 Dire Avenger Exarch.

First, the squad so far:



And the Exarch (with Bladestorm and dual Avenger Shuri Cat)

[king88mob]

Next on the Block: Fire Dragons.

Completed so far:
1 lonely dragon

[king88mob]

Warp Spiders are one of my favorite units so far, but i'm not a fan of the "proper" aspect paint job.

Here's my first failed attempt at a scheme (definitely NOT the one i'm going with)

[king88mob]

And finally, one of 3 vypers that i have painted up so far (they are all missing their weapons, none of which are completed) Not the best photos, but it's what i have so far.

[yourtimehascome]

Dear All Concerned,

Wow, these look great! Hope to see more!

-YTHC

[theyak]

king88mob, I like your dire avengers. The shading on their armor is quite nice. Thumbs up!

[Handbag of Joy]

Love 'em, I have two suggestions however... perhaps highlight with mettalics the mane of your dire avengers, that dark copper seems a little, one dimensional.

Also your warpspider yea the scheme kinda fell down on its way to the cornershop, but thats ok, all I think you need to do is give that eye glint thats so oftenly (oftenly?) used and highlight the head either a slightly lighter blue or a completely opposite end of the scale blue.

O and firedragon, glint on eye and perhaps to make his gun a little more eyecatching some freehand patterns? usual thorn ones perhaps, that is if you're comfortable with freehand painting.

Now I may sound highly critical but really i made sure I mentioned every possible thing I would see as a flaw, I mean after all I could say "woo great job, no other comment" but that wouldn't really furfil the purpose of you posting these pictures to have them judged now would it

[king88mob]

perhaps highlight with metallics the mane of your dire avengers, that dark copper seems a little, one dimensional.

Yeah, they are going to be hit with a dry brush of copper+silver when i have the two squads completed. I need to do a better job of highlighting the copper in general, metallics are my biggest challenge right now

Also your warpspider yea the scheme kinda fell down on its way to the cornershop, but thats ok, all I think you need to do is give that eye glint thats so oftenly (oftenly?) used and highlight the head either a slightly lighter blue or a completely opposite end of the scale blue.

To be honest, i completely gave up on the disco'spiders idea. the latest version is mostly purple with bone guns and a copper helmet, but i'm still not very satisfied with it. I just want to avoid painting more red if i can help it (trad. spider colours) so my next test will be green spiders.

O and fire dragon, glint on eye and perhaps to make his gun a little more eyecatching some freehand patterns? usual thorn ones perhaps, that is if you're comfortable with freehand painting.

My eyework in general needs some practice. on the finished squad (pictures up tonight) all the eyes are green, and it really pops them out. I have a medical condition known as fat-fingers. it's debilitating. there's a support group I'll give it a try, just a little dot of white to make it pop, eh? The guns... that's an interesting idea actually. i may have to give that some thought.

Now I may sound highly critical but really i made sure I mentioned every possible thing I would see as a flaw, I mean after all I could say "woo great job, no other comment" but that wouldn't really furfil the purpose of you posting these pictures to have them judged now would it

If you've read any of my posts, i do exactly the same thing I like to point out the good and the bad. this blog is here to help my painting get better, not stroke my ego.

The reason it's not been updated of late is because i've got 3 grav tanks on the go right now, all with diff variations on the same theme. Should be putting them up next week i hope.

[king88mob]

I'm totally necroposting my own post

I finally got a decent photo setup (at walmart of all places, they where selling it to eBay addicts )



Works surprisingly well (though it needs a light for the front as well) and folds into a portable kit the size of one of the sides

Anyway, here's the first completed squad of Dire Avengers:



Another view:




A full squad of 10 Firedragons + exarch:



And some WIP warwalkers. These have to be the most annoying kit in the world to paint, i had to do each piece individually (base, body, legs, weapons, canopy) , then get everything together. I still need to finish up the pilots, glue the canopies on and get some weapons painted up for them, and minor touch ups here and there (mostly around the gems where i went over the lines)






and finally my first WIP Dark Reaper (for the Tale of Painters)



Still to come (painted, but not yet photographed)
The squadron of vypers
The first Ranger
The first Falcon