Beastmen Warband

I haven't played a game of Mordheim in over ten years.  Despite that fact I have always wanted to get back into the game and have slowly amassed a collection of warbands.  It started when I was in Iraq and had plenty of time to think of projects to keep me entertained.  After much thought I began my quest to start collecting the warbands.  Ebay was a good friend and a cruel mistress in helping me collect all the models I felt I was going to need.  I selected Beastmen as the first warband to get up and running and I picked up a fair share of models to get started.  I finished painting two of the models before I was back in Iraq again and the new collection of mordheim models sitting tucked away in a dark closet.  Once Iraq was done the second time it took me over a year and a half back in the normal world before I had the time to start up the warband again.  They are now complete and I hope you will enjoy them as I showcase my work.

The first model I painted for the warband was it's leader.  Now back when I started this model the extent of my painting technique was dry brushing and ink washes.  Despite this, and a very limited color pallet, I was generally pleased with how the model turned out.  I didn't go with the Mordheim Cheiftan because I didn't like the wench he was dragging around and I wasn't so fond of his minotaur-ish appearance.  I went with the beastlord with great weapon because it was a good looking model and a bundle of mordheim beastmen I purchased off ebay came with him,  In retrospect I should have gone with the beastlord with two axes, but he's painted and there is no turning back now.   Enjoy



For the metal I tried to make it appear to be worn brass or bronze since I doubt the beastmen would have a forge setup in the woods.  I was really happy with how his horns turned out.  I don't remember where I found the color scheme for them and I have never been able to reproduce the look again.  



I went with a red skin tone because he was supposed to be a retired Bloodbowl player from our old league known as the Red Beast.  The warband colors were to be red and grey because of the abundance of grey paint I had on hand.  I had worked on a Death Korps of Krieg army so I had lots of left overs.  



If I could change one thing I would have removed the blade from his helmet since he would probably take off a hand when swinging the axe over his head like that.  Still it is an intimidating model.  I did go back years later and highlight the grey some, but overall it remains mostly unchanged from how I originally painted him.  
I apologize for the dark photos but I'm in Korea now and my setup here is not perfect.  More to come

Great looking model. I like the muted colors, always felt they suited Mordheim better. I have the same model and never thought about the helmet spike interfering with his overhead swing.  

Thanks for the comment Mike.  It is subdued colors although the Korean Cell phone and crappy desk light I used to take the photo muted the colors even more.

The second model I finished was one of the Champions.  This was my first attempt to paint flames and I had a really hard time, and limited colors, to try and get it right.  Trying to paint lighting effects was and still is beyond my abilities so I didn't even attempt it.  As with the Beastlord model I was very pleased with how the horns turned out and was never able to recreate the look again.  I'm not a fan of the added base the model comes on with the rock and skull, but I do like the non-traditional beastman look that it has.  Probably my favorite thing about the Mordheim models is that not a single model looks similar.  A good Chaotic feel.

Really nice beastman with a good paintjob. I, myself dislike OLS on models meant for gaming.

I also really like the more subdued beastman miniature.

You've done an EXCELLENT job bringing the Beasty Boys to life. The color choices suit the subject well. GREAT WORK!   

Great paintjob, love the torchfire effect, well done!

Thanks for all the kind feedback.  I had debated cutting the top of the torch off to not have to deal with painting it, but it does give the model character so I'm glad I kept it.  

The next model up was the first model I painted after my two year break.  I had just finished painting some minis for auction and I rolled straight into the beastmen while the iron (or paintbrush) was still hot.  I had learned a few tricks since the first two and now I used washes and layering as apposed to drybrushing so I feel the quality of my work had improved greatly.  This model was always one of my favorites.  For the arm I used a plastic Gor arm and the shield is from the Marauder horseman if I remember correctly.  I tried to add a second weapon on his belt but I didn't have any beastly weapons that would work well enough for my liking.  I like the wood armor of the model although I don't think my color scheme gave it any justice.  Still, I think the model is mean looking SOB and finishing him opened the flood gates to finishing the warband.

Up next I have the centigor.  I wasn't too pleased with the Mordhiem model so I decided to go with a warhammer centigor.  I removed the little buckler and added a marauder shield to the right hand.  Instead of using the spear arm it came with I used a plastic Gor arm and the shoulder pad was from the champion model if I remember correctly.  I added some green stuff straps for the armor and I left off the one horn to give the model the sense of battle damage.  Overall I like how the model turned out minus the horns.  I don't know what I did with my beastlord but I can't seem to replicate it anymore.  I added the animal stripes to give it some more character.  I think I could do them better now that I have been painting more, but I think they work pretty well.  The head attached to the shield was tough to figure out.  I couldn't tell if it was an orc head or an old human one, so I painted it up like a dried out human.  

Hi,

I like your models. Especially the Centigor looks great with these little conversions.

Great looking models   

Nice dark coloursheme, great choice!

Excellent conversion and paint! I have done similar to my centigor, but also dremel'd off the left hand buckler and sculpted hide on adding an off-hand weapon. Wish I could paint as well as you, very nice.

I love beastmen and I particularly like the dark, organic paint scheme you came up with for your beasts. The fire on the torch is amazing!

Joao

EXCELLENT minis AND an some OUTSTANDING brushwork/basing work WONDERS. VERY WELL DONE!   

Mike wrote:

Excellent conversion and paint! I have done similar to my centigor, but also dremel'd off the left hand buckler and sculpted hide on adding an off-hand weapon. Wish I could paint as well as you, very nice.

I've always wanted to buy a dremel but I've been worried that I would go crazy with it and start sawing off limbs left and right.  I can't claim that I came up with the conversion on my own, I came across something similar on the internet and then made it my own.  Thanks for the feedback!

Up next I am going to start showcasing the gors on the warband.  I really like the plastic gor models that GW makes, but I didn't use them for two reasons.  First I am partial to metal models over the plastic.  Something about the feel of the weight of metal feels better to me when I am working.  Second I wanted a warband that was truly chaotic looking with models having a variety of looks.  The first model is a strange one because going by the size of the model it should be a gor but as far as the horns go he looks a little on the small size.  Either way I like the look of the model and I enjoy his trophy collection that he is carrying around.



I have an easier time painting non-human flesh than I do human since I don't have to have a realistic looking color scheme.  For the trophies I tried to give them a rotten tint to them and the eyes I wanted them to have a milky look to them.



I kept the red and grey fabric to give him and unified feel with the rest of the warband.  



Hope you enjoy and again thanks for all the good feedback

The latest Beast Boys are just as BEAUTIFULLY painted & based as their Brethren. VERY WELL DONE!   

Quote :

The first model is a strange one because going by the size of the model it should be a gor but as far as the horns go he looks a little on the small size.

I never knew what to do with that model. He's carrying a spear, which isn't on the Gor list of weapons, he has an ungor looking head...And he has that pesky pick, what does that count as?

You have done a wonderful job painting him up.    

Von Kurst wrote:

Quote :

The first model is a strange one because going by the size of the model it should be a gor but as far as the horns go he looks a little on the small size.

I never knew what to do with that model.  He's carrying a spear, which isn't on the Gor list of weapons, he has an ungor looking head...And he has that pesky pick, what does that count as?

You have done a wonderful job painting him up.     

I think who ever sculpted the models wasn't aware of the rules or the composition of the warband. All the gors I gave axes so the pick arm I am going to use as an axe as well. It is one of the arms that came with the box set, most of the other gors ended up with arms from the plastic GW set.

Thank you for the compliments. I do like this model even though it's purpose is ambiguous. One thing I did notice is that the beastmen must have murdered a rock band because all the heads have some serious long hair!

The next Gor is probably my second favorite model of the Mordheim models.  The mismatched horns really lends its self to the Chaos affect that you would expect from the children of chaos.  The arm is one of the metal arms that comes with the box set.  The severed head is a nice touch but again it looks like he murdered a rock star with all the long hair.  The pictures don't really show it but I used the new citadel blood paint to add blood to the severed head and have it dripping down on the ground.  I wish the horns had come out better but for what ever reason I can't seem to reproduce the nice looking horns I started with.  Perhaps some day I will get the touch back again.  

Once more an OUTSTANDING paint job & base. Your subtle colors are BEAUTIFUL & very in keeping with the nature of the mini. VERY WELL DONE!    
The beheaded Rock Star could be a sign the Beast Men are into Country.   

DeafNala wrote:

Once more an OUTSTANDING paint job & base. Your subtle colors are BEAUTIFUL & very in keeping with the nature of the mini. VERY WELL DONE!    
The beheaded Rock Star could be a sign the Beast Men are into Country.   

LOL, never thought about that.  

My next Gor was an experiment in painting a human flesh tone.  The model is a decent sculpt although it was lacking in detail.  I wanted to practice a darker color on his bag of goodies and the axe is from the plastic Gor set.  His loincloth is gray sand the wraps on his arm red to keep with the unified color of the warband.  All in all I think he turned out well.

The Beastly Fellow looks as TERRIFIC as his comrades. The flesh turned out very well...more human in tone. GREAT WORK!   

Quote :

I think who ever sculpted the models wasn't aware of the rules or the composition of the warband.

I expect you are correct. I seem to remember an article in one of the GW magazines trying to explain the disconnect between the art department and the rules because of different deadlines.

Anyway you are producing a wonderful warband. Each newly painted mini is a joy to behold.

Thanks for all the nice comments and feedback!

As I mentioned before I am not keen on plastic models.  While I do like how the plastic Gors look I just prefer to have the weight of a metal model over plastic.  Unfortunately, the amount of metal GW beastmen is limited and lets be honest, their designs have improved greatly over the years.  To find the last of the two gors I combed over ebay and found a couple of suitable models.   The first model I painted was a simple design and has the old giant goat-head look that GW used to se all the time.  It originally was holding a rather flimsy sword over his head so a little surgery upgraded him to a nice plastic gor axe and I added a marauder shield.  To spice it up a little I added a bit of blood effect on the axe.  




I liked the color of the wood grain but at first I was trying to manually paint the highlights and it wasn't working.  After switching to drybrusing it turned out pretty good.



The model is old but overall I am very pleased with how he turned out. It is always nice to breath some life into an old unused model.

Your latest Beasty Guy looks as SPLENDID as his predecessors...GREAT WORK!    

If your limit your minis to a particular material or mini maker, you're putting a lot of unnecessary restrictions on War Band/collection. When minis were lead based there was a real difference in heft between metals & plastic. The difference between pewter & plastic is a lot less...if you weight your bases the difference become unnoticeable. PLUS for the unique minis that conversions/kit bashes yield, plastic is far superior to metal. AND G.W. isn't the only source of metal Beastmen.