Empire Army: Knights

Some knights to add to the Empire Army. I'm still making my way through an old Warhammer starter army purchased many moons ago. Nice change of pace, most of the Empire foot troops are cheap and wear leather or fabric, these were mostly metal.

Small group of knights

Quick and easy paint job, metallics and white with wash, everything else contrast paints

Try hiding that flag behind a tabletop hill!

 

Empire Crossbows and Great Swords

 Finished these units up a couple of months ago. First up some crossbows:

And an elite unit of Great Swords:

As the norm with me now when painting GW stuff, everything was done in Contrast paints under a white base coat for clothes and cream base coat for flesh. Metallics were finished off using standard acrylics. It's fast and good enough for my tabletop.

Empire General and Pistoliers

Some troops and a general to do Karl Franz's bidding. Nothing fancy with these, just straight Contrast on everything except the metallics.

The Empire force is really starting to build now but I still have a few foot and mounted companies to complete before I can go for a force selfie.

Karl Franz on Deathclaw

This is the Emperor of the Empire contingent from the Warhammer world that was (and will soon be again given the previews coming out of Forge World). Terrific model, plastic allowing the sculptor to do something to a true scale (as far as you can with mythical beasts) whilst keeping the price low (in GW terms) and ensuring the gamer doesn't have to reinforce their table to deal with the weight.

The warhammer carried by Karl, which I believe is THE Warhammer, seems a little superfluous as I doubt he could reach anything from the back of Deathclaw.

Still it's the look of the thing that counts. Feathery and metal bits are done in acrylics, the eagle claws and lion rear end Contrast.

Empire - Swordsman Unit

As with the spearmen these are from an old battalion box I had lying around. The army is taking shape now and in a speedy fashion thanks to my new reliance on Contrast paints for everything except metallic and white highlighting. I don't know if I will use Contrast for historical figures as I'm not convinced that the colours look realistic enough but, as will be seen in this blog, they have become my go to paints for all things of a fantastical or science fiction bent.

The complete unit

Standard bearer

Officer

Empire - Huntsmen Unit

These are the expert archers and skirmishers for the Empire. Once more a box I had lying around for nearly eight years before they got built and splattered. The reason for suddenly resurrecting these was a few games of Warlords of Erehwon which is a figure manufacturer agnostic fantasy skirmish game from Warlord.

There's a chance these guys will get used in anger at some point!

Empire Spearmen and Wizard

The Empire Army continues to be assembled. This regiment is from the batallion pack that used to be available before the world that was met its apocalyptic fate. The figures themselves are still available and have recently been included as part of the Age of Sigmar, Cities of Sigmar codex.

Also finished is a figure started way back in 2014.

Empire - Hand Gunner Unit

Probably one of the factors that killed off interest in the old rank and file version of Warhammer was the sheer number of figures required to get a decent sized battle going. Age of Sigmar clearly addresses this with its skirmish format but I wonder if Contrast paints had been available in the Old World would they have made a difference?

The first completed unit of my Empire army is a group of hand gunners. The first of these was completed back in October 2012 but the remainder have occupied various positions on the painting desk since.

The completed unit

Officer

Standard Bearer

This one has waited a long time to appear in a Finished Unit post

Empire Cannon

Was Karl Franz compensating with the scale of his ordinance?

Once again contrast paints proved a great boon for this model.

Only metallic parts have been painted utilising traditional acrylics.

 Everything else is an undercoat and a single coat of contrast.

Empire Generals - Finished

Well this is embarrassing... I finally completed a couple of generals for my Warhammer Empire army.

The one on foot is only five or so years old but the mounted one made his first appearance on Khaki Drab in July 2012.

I've been playing Warlords of Erehwon recently which led to a resurrection of the project. Of course in the time that's passed the Old World has been destroyed and replaced with the Age of Sigmar, though GW are trailing the original Warhammer's return.


Three years, maybe I'll get them all done by then.

Everything is contrast paints except the metallics and the lettering on the shield. The Italia theme was entirely accidental!

What I’m Working on Now…

A long time ago… in a blog post far, far away, I started describing an Empire Army for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. They are still there sat on their sprues awaiting the attentions of clippers, glue and brush.
One day I will get to them – that oft made wargamers cry! But for now I’m dipping into the commanders.
First up a couple of colourful battle wizards:



And a mounted general…


Naturally all GW’s finest.

Building an Empire Army Part Three

Test Piece - Hand Gunner
So having had a bad experience with Army Builder Uniform Grey spray paint I went back to the drawing board and gave a Citadel Chaos Black undercoat followed by a light spray of the grey.
This immediately highlighted what I’d thought had happened, because the figure was grey already I had simply put too much of the Army Painter spray on and obliterated the detail – nothing to do with the product, all me own fault! (as usual).
I had decided that the Empire units should come from Reikland having been seduced by the bright white uniforms and how bright they would look compared to Orc or Skaven armies (and forgetting how difficult white can be).
Games Workshop have published several guides recently in White Dwarf and their new Painting Citadel Miniatures book and both sources were used. However, having been unable to persuade the other half that mortgaging the house to buy the entire new range of paint was a good idea, there is a fair mix of the old and new paint ranges. Unless specifically stated all paint is Citadel.

White Uniform:

• Army Painter Uniform Grey Undercoat.
• White Scar for layering.
• Praxeti White for highlights.

Bag:

• Calthan Brown base colour.
• Snakebite Leather first hightlight.
• Tausept Ochre edge highlight.

Hand gun:

• Barrel: Bolt Gun Metal, Chainmail highlight and then coated in a Nuln Oil ink.
• Stock: Scorched Brown with a Dark Flesh Highlight.

Black areas – Chaos Black with an Adeptus Battlegrey highlight.
Red areas – Mechrite Red followed by Blood Red Highlight.
Base: Blackfire Earth with a Snakebite leather highlight. The foliage is MiniNatur tufts with blossoms early fall.

So one down… an army to go…

Building an Empire Army Part Two

Test Pieces

Unfortunately disaster strikes almost instantly. My favourite guy with the hammer did not survive an undercoating of Army Painter Uniform Grey. Guess I was too heavy handed most of the detail was obliterated as can be seen in the photo.

I attempted a rescue job but he was just too stubborn.
That had been a straight undercoat of Uniform Grey for  the next test piece a hand gunner (somebody who can be hidden in the rank and file – lesson learned) a Citadel Chaos Black coat was applied before the Uniform Grey which was used sparingly. So far ok, next post should see him finished and details of his paint scheme…

Building an Empire Army – Introduction

Finally after years of resisting I’ve succumbed to Warhammer and decided that I need to build an army. The first major decision is of course which one? It ended up being a choice between the Orcs and Empire. The Empire won out as I have always been intrigued by the mix of pike and fire arms plus I’d actually spent the past couple of years building and painting an Ork army for Warhammer 40K.
There’s only so much Goblin Green a man can take.
Anyhow first up on the list is always some characters, that way I can make decisions on colours and heraldry and then let them permeate down into the rank and file.

The two on the left are from Citadel’s Empire Generals plastic set and the one on the right is Markus Wulfhart from the Citadel Finecast series. All ready for some undercoat.
And would you look at the size of the chap in the middles warhammer? What’s not to like?