Stop me before I Paint again...

Stop me before I paint again...

Terrible thing, this obsession with models and painting. My kids got me this poster to hang in the Man Cave last year:

 Photos of the current layout, with the new shelves for storage and display, the cupboards with models in their storage boxes. I didn't get a shot of the piles of shame under the counter (Models yet to be built)

The entire work space incorporating the libations station on the left

Empire Troops en masse and modelling and painting equipment

The painting corner

Storage shelves

Paints, bases and bitz

The WW2 and Train storage area

WHFB Storage Cupboard:

Top shelf: Odd shaped and sized models (Chaos Daemons , Dark Elves , VCs and Greenskins)

2nd Shelf: Luc's Lizard Men and Ogres, my Dwarfs

Third Shelf: Luc's Tau, Undead (Vampire Counts) and Dark Elves

Bottom shelf: Empire Artillery, Greenskin Cavalry, assorted war machines, War Altars etc

WW2 figuers (part built/painted) and Modelling Literature overflow , Terrain and Realm of Chaos.

Mordheim bits also live here, including a conversion of Preacher Joseph (54mm) as an Empire Ogre Mercenary. The empty space at top right is where the 40K Vehicles used to live. They are about to be listed on Trade me (E-bay equivalent here in NZ)

Ok, so the sorting and arrangement is over. Let's get back to some serious modelling. Getting to grips with Kurt Helborg (R) and Ludwig Schratzhelm (L), arch rival special characters of the Empire

A Man Cave Re-organised: A Shelf-ish Peace

A Man Cave Re-organised

(or A Shelf-ish Peace comes to the Empire)

Finally moved the entire Empire Army off the Pool/Gaming Table, assembled the waiting bookcases, and rearranged the shelves. Took me most of Friday night and Sunday. The building/painting surfaces, storage for paints, glue and bits all rearranged. Empire Army in its entirity (well almost) up on the shelves. Shipped off the Australian and Indian 20mm figures to their own shelf, and the almost finished German King Tiger, the 3rd Flak Quad Vierling and halfway converted Puma joined them shortly after. (Okay... I won't mention WW2 or 20mm again)

Unofficial Cult of Ulric Supplement, would like to give this a go with my Knights of the White Wolf at some point, like-wise with the Unofficial Kislev

Friday night saw me using Shelleys Pre-mixed Gap Filler to fill the bases before magnetising all, yes all, of my Empire Cavalry, and all my Nordland Flaggellants. My special characters all had their character flaws filled, and their bases magnetised. The Elector Count Luc, my son, nicely summerised it when he came into the cave late Sunday afternoon: "Great! Now we have 360 degrees of Warhammer!"

Nordland handgunners and swordsmen still need their bases filled, and then I can start building those Demigryph cavalry, Ludwig Schwartzhelm and Kurt Helborg. Luther Huss is built, ready to be primed. I promised myself that I would not start on them before everything else was done. So they still reside in the pile of shame with the Talabheim Greatswords. I have just about finished my Karl Franz on Deathclaw conversion, from the High Elf Griffin, rather than buying current Karl of a puffed pigeon griffon.

So organised now:
1. One cupboard full of mostly completed armies (My Dark Elves, Dwarfs, Greenskins, Vampires, The Elector Count Luc's Tau, Ogres and Lizardmen)
2.Another containing my Chaos army and Chaos Daemons, Mordheim bits and the soon-to-be-sold remnants of our Space Marine and CSM Armour,
3. 4-piece shelf with the empire, and dragons and giants and other things to large to fit the cupboard shelves, and my modeling tools, pains and painting station.
4. A (finally or temporarily) clear bar/bench top surface, with space under it filled with bitz boxes, and 2 shelves of shame: One for the unbuilt WHFB models, and another for Unbuilt 20mm WW2 (Oops...said it again)
5. Low cupboard containing all the WW2 20mm armies, armour and also terrain, as well as all the HO/OO railway bits
6. Shelf containing all the Gaming literature and rule books
7. 3-4 containers full of terrain, a castle for sieges etc

Talabec Trotters: Mounted Multiple Shot Rotters

Talabec Trotters, Multiple Shot Rotters

Mounted forces play an important role in the Empire Armies. Mounted light cavalry, armed with repeater handguns can be a formidable force to recon with. Mobile and hard-hitting they can be a real force to be reckoned with. The grizzled veteran Outriders are the most experienced and longest living of the tempestuous riders of Talabheim and Talabec.

Armed with devastating multiple-shot handguns these guys can unleash a hail of armour-piercing lead on any enemy, and gallop away from retribution, only to reform and approach again...

Emo Knights? Knights and Priest of Morr

The Knights of Morr and their Warrior Priest

The Knights of Morr are the Dark Underbelly of the Empire. 

The preoccupation of the Wizards and Priests of Morr with Death and its trappings are clear from the Iconography they choose. Generally shunned by the populace, who give them a wide berth these knights will fight evil with evil. Some say they are already Undead themselves...

Work in progress, the Knights of Morr riding out in search of the enemies of the Empire as the sun sets and the creatures of the night start stirring...

The last rays of the setting sun glint off the dark armour and funerary purple livery of the Knights of Morr

 The Grand Master of Morr and his Warrior Priest, together with the command group. As befitting a Warrior Priest of Morr, the WP does not carry a Hammer of Sigmar, but rather the Scythe of Morr

Warrior Priests and Spiritual Fortitude

Spiritual Fortitude: Warrior Priests and Witch Hunters

The good citizens of the Taal Valley are besieged by dark forces, incursions of Chaos, and all manner of temptation to turn to the Dark side.

Map of the Empire, showing Talabecland, with Talabheim on the banks of the River Taal, and how Ostland and Stirland Act as buffers to the East

Luckily they have the Warrior Priests and Witch hunters to fortify them against this onslaught, find and eliminate these heretics, converts of Darkness and unbelievers.

Two of my Warrior Priests

Vampire and Witch Hunters, and a stern Master Engineer with a brace of Pistols

Talabheim Heroes and Lords with Luther Huss (unpainted) and Valten (Part Painted)

Second row: Reiksguard, Captain of the Reiksguard and Elector count of Reikland acting as the Emperor's Bodyguard

Empire Conflagellation

Empire Conflagellation

(or lets all flagellate together now...)

I got my whole Empire Army (barring artillery) out last night, and arranged them on my gaming table.
Did I hear a cry of "solo wargaming !"; Scott ? You may call it solo gaming, I may Armies on parade....

Lets admit it, we all do it, our own little secret...

Without any buff and fluff, shields and upgrades I can probably field 10 000+ points. 

The Army contains many Mordheim Skirmish Models. (Skirmish games being another love of I have.) 

I have based them on square bases, not always ideal for skirmish games, but this means they can be used as part of standard WHFB armies too, so the Sisters of Sigmar can join the Army either as alternative Warrior Priests (Nuns) or part of a flagellant band. The Mordheim Empire Witch Hunters can fulfill a similar role.

How about a unit just containing Warrior Priests or Witch Hunters?

Who said self flagellating religious fanatics need to be only male? 

This picture is off the net, but my paint scheme is similar (Blue) for my Nordland Sisters of Sigmar

Generic pictures: Will post some of my own tomorrow, geting the wide angle lens out...
Pictured above is one of my favourites, the infamous Nun Chuck with her ubiquitous nunchaku shaped flail. A nice visual pun!

The border provinces: Talabecland and Talabheim

My Empire armies are based on the Town of Talabheim and it's bordering countryside, Talabecland.
Their impressive red and white livery is what I originally started with when I started collecting Empire.

Knights of the White Wolf and a Warrior Priest of Ulrik are at the disposal of the Count, as is adequate numbers of Nulnish artillery. Proximity to the Drakwald has caused many Wizards to aggregate in and around Talabheim to bolster the spiritual defense of these embattled areas.

Knights of the White Wolf, filled with the spirit of Ulrik, gallop into the fray

The banner still needs painting

Alternative Karl Franz, from the now defunct Confrontation range

His shield is in for repairs after taking a very heavy beating from Gorbad Ironclaw

Heraldry of Talabheim

Part of the lead and plastic pile of shame: Un-built Demigryph cavalry, Greatswords, and special characters. 

Grand Master of the Reiksguard and Elector Count of Reikland

A few of the wizards in my collection

I also run a Nordland army, based around the coastal city of Marienburg. The Maritime flavour is reflected in the iconography and city colours; blue and yellow. The latter colour not reflecting the valour of these oft beseiged troops. Attached to this, in light blue is a band of Kislevite archers and the Ice Queen, hopefully one day expanding into and entire army. More photos to follow