Slann. Beast Handlers 2

With the Cold One Warhounds completed i turned to the Giant Scorpions which need a little bit more work. 

They had lost a set of legs each before their original construction (I think I had gained the two in a school swap many years ago and they had lost them when I got them) and a couple of leg sections had broken off. I decided to stick with the legs i had and paint them up like Black Scorpions.

The extra room on the bases gave me more room to decorate so one would have a broken pillar to climb over and the other a partially decomposed body

To provide extra support with the Scorpion with the damaged legs he is held up on a rod under his belly which is hidden by some foilage

The finished handlers

Completed Scorpions and Handlers

Since completing these i have acquired another Handers and two more Cold One Warhounds,i plan on adding these to the existing pack and using the handler for some other beasts, possibly Giant Spiders.

Slann: Beast Handlers 1.

Slann beast masters add a colourful variety to an already bright lineup and can add some interesting focal points to the force. When i first started collecting Slann I was a big fan of this option, the handlers are a great sculpt and one of my favourite in the range, the Cold One Warhounds have a great character, stubby crocodiles, and the giant Scorpions will always remind me of Clash of the Titans.

The original paintwork on the Cold One Warhounds was a bit random and i was initial undecided which way to go, a dark blue to connect them with their Cold One cousins, a crocodile green or something else entirely.

Once the figures had been striped they old paintwork (I use Biostrip 20) the gaps i the moulding were filled with Green Stuff and i added rings to their collars in case i want to add chains later on. I also drilled through the hands of each handler as well for the same reason.

 In the end i settled for a dark green with a black back for the Cold One warhounds and decided on the green shade for the Slann themselves

Ash Ridge Cold One Warhounds

Slann: Jungle Braves

The Jungle braves are the primitive Slann gathered up from deep in the jungles and far from the great cities. Inspiration for these came from the jungle tribe in Apocalypto but also from the fantastic Jungle Braves on theottovonbismark blog (link at the bottom), especially with the clubs and shields (which are Goblins shields)

the Braves as they once were...kitty litter and no thinned paints!

Stripped, straightened and rebased. Some of the figures were also reposed to allow them to stand in unit and add a bit of variety

The Standard is from the Outpost Wargames Services and their Aztec banner range.

I will be using more for each unit as well as personal back banners for my characters. They also sell feathered shields which i can use on the higher ranking troops

Similar to the Blowpipes, the braves have simple individual black tattoos rather than coloured warpaint to represent their lower class.

I have made up several base fillers for the tray which i can replace with more braves as i get them and  eventually able to fields a full 20.

theottovonbismark

Outpost Wargames Service

Slann: Blowpipe Unit

For the first unit in my new Slann army i have decided on a unit of Venom Tribe blowpipes. These are one of the more colourful units and starting these will give me a bit more time to try out some ideas for the Slann green skin.

I originally had eight figures with a further one broken at the legs (which you can just make out in the background) , this is a fairly common issue with the figures and I am grateful i have so few casualties despite 20+ years and numerous house moves with them in a bit of tissue and wooden soap box!

to compete the unit I was able to repair the broken one with wire and GS and the last figure was added from kickstarter figure from Diehard Miniatures range of Eru-Kin.

Painting these up was also be the first time I used a notebook to log the paints so I can keep them uniform when add more units in the future.

repaired warrior and Eru-Kin join the ranks in red

I decided on a desert themed base to keep the focus the figures and will tie in with the background I am working on

The extra detail on the Eru-Kin marks him out as a unit leader

Despite the years apart, the Eru-Kin fits in with the other figures perfectly but still stands a beautiful sculpture in its own right

The Film Apocalypto is a continuing source of inspiration for this force and I have tried to keep a quite simple look for this unit as they are more primitive jungle Slann and their more basic tattoos and clothes reflect that. 

I am also planning unit trays for each unit as well, but calling them done for now. 

Update: movement tray now added

2017 - the Year of the Slann

2017 is the Year of the Slann, a year I have dedicated to actually trying to field a fully painted army and have amore planned and focused build/paint plan

I am also planning on attending this years Oldhammer gathering BOYL (Bring Out Your Lead )  and field a 1000pt WHFB third edition force

For choice of army is my beloved Slann, i started collecting these the i was about 14 and all thought I had painted a coupe of units i stopped as i didn't think i was a good enough painter to do them justice so they went into storage and thank fully survived my days out of gaming.
Considering the prices OOP Slann figures can go for, I am gratefulI managed to have enough to make this a viable project without having to take out a mortgage for them and my unboxed army stands below as well as a very small (!) Pygmy allied contingent

My first goals are to build the Blowpipe unit and expand the Cold One cavalry as well as look for a possible Slave unit alternative troops.