Another regiment to join the ranks of Settra's army, this a Special Unit choice, Necropolis Knights.
When I first saw the Necropolis Knights in the 2011 releases I didn't like them I thought that they were silly, with skeletons seeming to surf on big snakes. My focus from the kit was the Sepulchral Stalkers which in my eyes looked a lot sinister. It took me a long time to like the Necropolis Knights, in no small part to looking at how other people had painted theirs.
Anyway, I picked up three without riders a little while ago, and then last year received a second three, still unmade, for my birthday just over a year ago. Having the unmade kit allowed me to revisit the kit and appreciate how to assemble them, and so I set to work.
Assembling wasn't as troublesome as I thought it would be. I found that the snakes looked a little flat on the base, and they didn't lay well on there, so to counteract this I added some Milliput to the bases to suggest undulating ground (with the occasion skull added for that Warhammer effect!). As I didn't have three spare Necropolis Knight bodies left over from my Sepulchral Stalkers kit from years ago, (I had two, having used one in a Tomb King Regiment), I converted an armoured skeleton warrior.
Painting was the standard dusty scheme. They were fun to paint. I found I had to paint a little more turquoise on the details of the snakes, and to be careful not to do too strong a gold on them. I think they turned out quite nicely, and it has changed my mind on the concept and the kit. It will be interesting to see if they re-appear in the new incarnation of the Tomb Kings when they are released for 'Warhammer: The Old World.
Enjoy :)
I stuck with the suggest combination of parts for the leader as I liked the look of the death mask, especially when combined with the face head for the snake. I like the axe as well.
.jpg)
I do love the detailing and design of the shield. I decided to use a different one of each of the Knights to amplify their individuality in the regiment. This was further helped by the different poses and spears.
This Knight is the one where I used the armoured skeleton warrior body, which I think works surprisingly nicely.
Wonderful work Lee, if you hadn't said that the last models rider wasn't part of the kit, it would have been impossible to tell.
ReplyDeleteThank you. He does fit it surprisingly well. Using the spare Necropolis Knights head, spear, and shield helps him blend in as well.
DeleteLooks good, very impressive. How effective a list have you created? Warhammer fantasy always had some very powerful leanings!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I haven't written a list, although I have been building the army to the army list guidelines in the Tomb Kings Army book. The project was more for fun, and myself wanting to properly paint a collection of miniatures which I have felt were unfinished business for a long while.
DeleteIt is an added bonus that they will be playable again when Warhammer: The Old World, is released. You're correct, Fantasy Battle armies could be constructed to be very over powerful, which is one of the reasons I stopped playing the later editions. No doubt though, I will be buying some of the new Tomb Kings miniatures when they are released.
I find it fantastic that you make these minis look so interesting with such a restricted palette. Cool job, seriously
ReplyDeleteThank you Suber. I do often prefer painting with a limited palette as I find sometimes miniatures can look too busy if everything is heavily painted. I also find that with a limited palette sometimes one can focus on colour or detailing of particular parts of the model and make them stand out a lot more, or give a more dramatic feel.
DeleteIt's also quite quick to paint in this style, and suits the old, dusty look, which I am striving to achieve.
The miniatures are very dynamic and fully consistent with the army of the Tomb Kings. We appreciate your efforts to differentiate the riders and give character to the bases. Again we assume that they are not real giant snakes, but statues animated by magic or demons... Since, if we are not mistaken, there already exist skeletal knights on horseback in this army, in which category do these Snake "surfers" fit according to WHFB?
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them. The Milliput bases also help to give weight the plastic models, further helping to stabilise them.
DeleteYes, you are absolutely correct, they are not real snakes, but magically animated stone statues, with undead skeletal riders. In relation the Skeleton Horsemen, which are classed a more common Core Unit, the Necropolis Knights are less common, classed as a Special Unit, and therefore less of them are available to take in any army list.