Thursday, September 4, 2014

Thornwood Thursday - Skorne Battlegroup




I picked up a Skorne battlegroup starter with the intention of trying out some new paint schemes and also to be able to run Hordes demos against my Trollbloods. I finished them recently, and the results are after the jump!


The Skorne battlegroup starter consists of, as always, a warlock and several accompanying beasts.

Master Tormentor Morghul:
A devotee of pain and one of the most skilled paingivers in the Skorne Empire, Master Tormenter Morghoul is a scion of suffering. With each hand sheathed in a fearsome bladed gauntlet, Morghoul rips through his enemies on the battlefield and evades injury with uncanny grace. He uses his mastery of pain to reduce the effectiveness of enemy warbeasts while driving his own into devastating bouts of agonized fury.

This guy is a tricky but fun model to use, with some rules that can make his beasts super effective. He can also easily wreck a lot of infantry with the many many attacks he can put out. In addition, he can even threaten heavier stuff because he has a rule that allows him to always do exactly one damage if he fails to get through armor. Given that he can do up to 14 or more attacks by spending all his fury, he can come out of nowhere to assassinate even the most armored of opponents.


This was my test model. I found a sweet jade sort of green color in the newly-added Vallejo paints at Gamers Sanctuary. I later realized this is a very similar (possibly identical) color to that used by friend of the site and award-winning painter Brian B. (aka PaintVagrant). I may have subconsciously been influenced by that. But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, yes?

Cyclops Savages:
Enslaved by the skorne as implements of war, cyclops savages are prized for their viciousness and battle prowess. They come from a brutish, carnivorous species that live to hunt and kill and possess uncanny skill in combat due to their innate ability to see into the future. Their complex and sensitive single eye demonstrates unusual perceptiveness, allowing them to see exactly how to penetrate a foe’s defenses.


I missed a mold line on that shoulder pad. It's killing me inside.

 These guys are standard melee lights. They'll do work but aren't going to do serious pain. Their animus is interesting- allowing them to boost attacks or damage after the roll, rather than before. Neat stuff. These pictures best show the new gold paint I tried- Vallejo Liquid Gold, in the Old Gold shade. Amazing, amazing stuff. It's tricky to work with since it's alcohol based, but the results are really great.

Titan Gladiator:
Favored warbeasts of the skorne, the versatile titans can be conditioned and equipped for a variety of battlefield roles. The titan gladiator is armed with massive spiked war gauntlets and uses its weapons and its armored body to pulverize enemy troops and warbeasts. The titan cannoneer is a mobile siege engine, blasting apart enemy formations with its gargantuan siege cannon. Finally, the titan sentry is a living wall, immovable and nearly impervious to enemy attacks behind its heavy shield and thick armor.



The Gladiator is a serious melee beater who strangely enough is probably more valued for his super useful animus, Rush. It gives a warbeast 2" of additional movement and Pathfinder, both incredibly valuable buffs. This model was the most frustrating to work with- some major gaps, mold lines, etc. Had this been for an army I planned to play, I would have done a great deal of gap filling and repair work. But I was able to resist the urge, as these are intended for demos only.


Overall, these were fun models to paint and a nice diversion. I even picked up some useful experience working with alcohol-based paints, so I gained some new skills as well. Thanks as always for checking out my stuff!

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