More dusty painted Tomb Kings, this time the Ushabti.
From the very first release of the Tomb Kings in 2002 I always liked the Ushabti. They were introduced as a the medium monster type for the army, in line with trolls, ogres, etc, and seemed to me to add that extra supernatural Ancient Egyptian edge to the army.
The original models are great, with the intricate detailing on the Great Weapons, and the four different Egyptian god styles, I always wanted to have a regiment for each of the gods! However, coming from the 2000's the pewter based sculpting does leave them a little static.
As for the later Finecast range of Ushabti Archers, I really never liked them when they were released, but then I purchased some from e-bay last year and was surprised to discover they are really lovely, although Finecast is still rubbish! Given Games Workshops recent announcement concerning the return of Warhammer and the Tomb Kings, I would have thought it likely to see a newly sculpted range of plastic kits for all the of Tomb Kings, something I am quite looking forward to.
Anyway, the Ushabti were great fun to paint. Using the dusty paint scheme they were quick and easy , and the dry brushing really brought out the details on the great weapons.
Enjoy :)
Some of these I painted late last year, but I have only finished filling in the gaps of the great weapon regiment a few weeks ago.
They are all metal, except for one.
I used the snake head body, and used the left arm from the Liche Preist on foot miniature, and a plastic bow arm with the bow snipped off from the skeleton warrior kit. I think he turned out well and looks the part of a unit leader, with a different looking great weapon, and looking as though he is bellowing out orders or issuing a challenge to an enemy.
I used the arms from the mounted Liche Priest miniature to convert this Ushabti. I used a jackal headed body to match the standard.
The one on the left with the more ornate great weapon is the Finecast miniature.
The next update will probably be on either more Skeleton Warriors, namely the swordsmen, or some characters, as both batches are finished but awaiting photographing.
These look great Lee, your certainly motoring through these units
ReplyDeleteThank you Dave. Yes, utilising the dusty paint scheme means that i can paint quite a lot of miniatures quite quickly. Added to that when focused I can speed paint quite well. I am nearing the end of the army, with only a few more batches to go.
DeleteWell done Lee a mighty fine looking force you've assembled.
ReplyDeleteThank you. They are great fun to paint, and the old Tomb Kings range was lovely.
DeleteThank you first of all for clarifying what an ushabti is: a name that we had heard several times, but that we hadn't yet associated with a precise creature. Unlike their counterparts trolls or ogres, is it correct to say that they are not a real race, but "demons" summoned with magic? We like how you managed to make your unit varied, with different heads and weapon conversions. For the game, do ushabti archers have to form a separate unit than those with hand weapons, or can they be mixed?
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteAccording to the background, the Ushabti are magically animated stone statues. They are animated by magical rituals performed by the Liche Priests, and involve the binding of a soul of an ancient hero, whose soul has been approved by the gods, to individual Ushabti statues.
In the game, the Ushabti archers are deployed in units of their own.
I'm pretty sure I remember you buying these 20 years ago. That being said I've just dug out my pile of shame, LoTR magazines most still with minis attached from the same era. One day I'll get around to painting them.
ReplyDeleteI did buy some of them about 20 years ago from Marsh at Southsea Models, when I first started collecting the Tomb Kings, and then I have added some over the years.
DeleteNice that you still have the old LOTR magazines, I had forgotten all about those.