Hi guys, hope you’re all well? So, I was planning to do some painting over the weekend and finish Ostium Guide number two, but I didn’t feel very painterly… However, I did feel a bit builderly, so I got started on my warband for The Chapel. I thought I’d post the WIPs as they stand and get some feedback from you lovely peoples. Please be critical in your commenting – I want these to be awesome, so all comments and suggestions are welcome! I’ll talk you through the thinking with each as we go, and indicate what else is to be done.

In terms of background, I’m going for an Exodite Eldar warband – The Storm of Winter – mainly to push me out of my comfort zone and give myself a real challenge to paint stuff I wouldn’t normally do. The high-level concept is that The Chapel is psychically linked to my Exodite world via the webway, and that bad juju is leaking through the webway and corrupting the forest home of my Exodite clan. A task force is sent to investigate and save their world, they find stoopid meddling Mon-kieghs, carnage ensues, etc. etc.

Here is my first character – a warhost leader (name pending). He’s in charge of the martial aspect of my warband (as opposed to the spooky part), and is roughly intended as an Autarch/Exarch level character. Made up of Shadow Warrior and Dire Avenger bits, with a Black Guardian head and posed on a yummy Black Tree base (thanks Mark!). I intend to reposition the left arm slightly and sculpt on some short sleeves and tidy up the neck. I’m also considering sculpting on a hood or even a chain mail coif (thinking of the Necromonger Lord Marshal in the Chronicles of Riddick here)… thoughts?

These next guys fill four of the six Henchmen slots – Dire Avenger equivalents (which works well with the warhost leader as Exarch in any future 40k force). Again, made up of Shadow Warrior and Dire Avenger bits. I de-cluttered and simplified the arms to remove anything overly technical looking, so as to look a bit more primitive than a Craftworld Eldar. I intend to sculpt some short sleeves on them, and I’ve just noticed that one Shuriken Catapult escaped having the gems removed, but not much else planned. I am considering removing the detailing from the helmets… thoughts?

Finally, these two ladies are possible candidates for the remaining two henchmen slots. They are Banshee equivalents, and are intended as body guards for the warhost leader. I am less happy with these two compared to the others – they are made with the Sisters of Avalorn kit and Black Guardian arms, but the base kit has very specific posing and the arms are not very dynamic… The result just looks a bit off to me, and I’m tempted to sack this idea but thought I’d run it by you guys first:

And here’s a couple of group shots:

So that’s where we are so for – again, any thoughts, comments, ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated at this point, just lay it on me – I promise I won’t cry :-)   The next part of the build is going to get really weird, and will focus a bit more on the eldritch side of life… and unlife!