Maledrakh's odyssey into the Warhammer Underworlds

It’s time to take stock of the Warhammer Underworlds warbands project. I still have a few unpainted warbands to go before completion, and a new season is upon us! Time to step up.

From the Shadespire season 1 block I only have the Skaven Spiteclaw’s Swarm left to do.

From the Nightvault season 2 block, I still have the base set’s Stormcast Eternal Sacrosanct Stormsire’s Cursebreakers, the Troll Mollog’s Mob, the Chaos Darkoath Godsworn Hunt, the Sylvaneth Ylthari’s Guardians, and Kharadron Overlord Thundrik’s Profiteers.

And, if they are to be counted, the Dreadfane warbands Stormcast Eternal Ironsoul’s Condemnors, and the Nighthaunt banshee Lady Harrow’s Mournflight. Being far from any Barnes & Noble, I have no possibility of getting this set. Not that I particularly want it as the minis are identical to the easy to build-sets Stormcast Sequitors and Myrmourn Banshees, that I do have.

So, time to start painting:

Delving deeper into the Nightvault, we come to the Kharadron Overlords Duardin  (=Power Armoured Steampunk Dwarves) warband . The release of this faction was in my opinion where Age of Sigmar really took a hard turn into leftfield to depart from it’s Tolkienlike / Warhammer Fantasy roots. They really are a far cry from the crossbow-wielding dwarfs of yesteryear, and are much more akin to the Squats of Warhammer 40k fame, at least aesthetic-wise.

It should have been the Skaven Stormfiends that held this dubious honour, but they were in fact released for Warhammer Fantasy Battles before Age of Sigmar, so there you are. You might also make a case for the Stormcast Eternals, but I think they are more of a trailblazing stepping stone and that it is the Kharadron Overlords that are the point of departure that for now has culminated  with the “Ossiarch Bonereapers”.  Sigh. I am getting old, it seems. At least there is a certain originality on display, not everything being mostly derivative anymore.

That said, I like them.

I have been putting painting them off for a while as I could not decide what kind of colour scheme I would use. I generally do not like to paint minis completely identical, but in teams such as this it is nessecary to keep things similar and with a theme.

So thinking about how these neodwarves are presented as power armoured traders and privateers, ranging through the skies across the lands in search of profit.

Power (Armoured) Rangers, eh? Let the colours represent. Go! Go!

Bjorgen Thundrik, the leader. Also, the blue one. Does the heat-discolourations on the flame thrower nozzle show in the pictures at all?

Dead Eye Lund, the sharpshooter. Also the black one.

Khazgan Drakkskewer, the ballon guy with a harpoon.  Also the red one.

Garodd Alensen, groundpounder. Also the yellow one.

Enrik Ironhail, the gatling gunner. Also the pink one.

How I painted these:

These were all done in about an evening. They are actually much simpler to do than the busy detailing would lead one to believe. This because of a single main colour all over that is really easy to highlight before any of the detailing starts.

Black undercoat, heavily drybrushed all over with Vallejo Tinny Tin, followed by a lighter drybrush of Scalecolor Necro Gold and very lightly with Army Painter Greedy Gold. Details in Army Painter Plate Mail and Army Painter Shining Silver.

For the individualizing colours, I chose to paint the top of the helmets and what might be cloth or rubber of their suits. I painted several of the faceplates partly as skin, to make them look cyborgy and more interesting. Dials and such with offwhite and red. I painted the bases as rock and added tufts and flock here and there for effect.

Thundrik’s Profiteers

Age of Sigmar: Kharadron Overlords faction

Expansion to the Warhammer Underworlds game, season 2: Nightvault.

Made by Games Workshop, 2018 or 2019

HIPS plastic

Thrundrik, Dead Eye and Khazgan on 32mm bases, Garodd and Enrik on 25mm bases