High Elves Conversion

[Superaids]

Greetings Carpe Noctum!

I think this is my first post

Since I'm trying to add to my current Skaven army I'd like to get another IoB, but I can't use the High Elves.

So I was thinking about ways to convert them into Vampire Counts. Seen from a lore point of view I can't spot any flaws in having defeated High Elves in battle and raised them amongst the ranks of dead.

But from a painting/sculpting point of view I'm having a few difficulties about how to do it. The way I'm thinking of doing it right now is to paint the models like normal High Elves and then make them look dirty/worn and the skin rotten.

And etc put a couple of holes in their armor, with entrails coming out, or a spear through the chest. Rather simple but efficient stuff.

An easy way of making stuff look undead is of course to replace the head with a skull, but High Elves don't have the same shaped skulls as men, and is there elven skulls ? :O

I'm looking for inspiration and help/guides on how to do it as simple as possible with a good result, since I'm only a semi-decent painter

 

[The Archivist]

If they're freshly raised then consider where they are from - if they came from a battlefield, paint them in an opponents colours!
As far as modelling is concerned, try giving them wounds that look fatal, as well as posing them with arms out stretched/ classic zombie pose. Try to model their cloaks to look torn and ragged, and discard the shields - zombies are too dumb for shields.
Heads and skulls are a tricky one. Pass to someone with more experience.

 

[Cuzzy]

put some arrows, swords and spears through their body.
and have a few of them lost their head or another bodypart.

 

[Superaids]

Thanks for the answers so far

Although I never thought of using the High Elves as Zombies, more like Skeletons, Graveguards and Black Knights. Since they have the equipment to equal each unit so well.

My assumption is Zombies is more like dead peasants where as Skeletons/Graveguard/Black Knights are slained soldiers

 

[Cuzzy]

I have seen some great conversions of bloodknights from the dragon prince kit.
Maybe use some of those bare skulls and model a elf helmet on em, to make them fit in a skeleton regiment.

From the griffon you can make an excelent abyssal terror, a member made one a while ago, I´ll see if I can dig it up.

Edit: Here´s the link. On the next page is also a good example of the beforementioned dragon prince/blood knight conversion.
https://www.vampirecounts.net/Thread-the-Krinas-Dark-Army-new-stuff?page=4

 

[Superaids]

Arh cool, thanks a lot It's stuff like that I want to do!

Thanks for the answers so far

Although I never thought of using the High Elves as Zombies, more like Skeletons, Graveguards and Black Knights. Since they have the equipment to equal each unit so well.

My assumption is Zombies is more like dead peasants where as Skeletons/Graveguard/Black Knights are slained soldiers

 

[Brahm Tazoul]

Zombies are anything that've been dead long enough to be dead, but too long to be useful dead.

In my opinion, the only good high elf is a DEAD high elf.

And therein lies the conundrum;
if a high elf that is dead is good, but he's been dead too long to be useful, is it a juxtaposition?

Answer:
No; you've got a GREAT chance here to assemble an undead vanguard of slain pointy-ears. You can create zombies from those who are too wounded/damaged to be truly useful, grave guard as a perversion of those of higher rank (when they were alive, anyways), skellies for those who the dire wolves got to before the necromancer could, etc...

and as an idea for a high-elf skull, why not take just a tiny ball of green-stuff to the back of a regular skellie-top & "cone" it out a bit...

Brahm

 

[Superaids]

and as an idea for a high-elf skull, why not take just a tiny ball of green-stuff to the back of a regular skellie-top & "cone" it out a bit...

Hmm, I like the idea. But wouldn't an Elf skull be narrower as well ?

 

[Brahm Tazoul]

and as an idea for a high-elf skull, why not take just a tiny ball of green-stuff to the back of a regular skellie-top & "cone" it out a bit...

Hmm, I like the idea. But wouldn't an Elf skull be narrower as well ?

C'mon dude... I can only do so much without completely building something from scratch... if we're looking for actual dimensions, you're going to have to take a VERY sharp knife and start whittling away at the flesh on the HE faces to see what's underneath...

It's all the illusion of what you're creating, and making it stand out from the models around them. If there is someone who REALLY wants "authentic" elf-skulls, I believe that GW came out with some elf bodies (cadavers, recently deceased, and body parts) a few years back as part of the Mordheim release; I know that I've got some deceased skaven and deceased empire troops as part of that set. Maybe someone could find it on Ebay?

Brahm

 

[Superaids]

and as an idea for a high-elf skull, why not take just a tiny ball of green-stuff to the back of a regular skellie-top & "cone" it out a bit...

Hmm, I like the idea. But wouldn't an Elf skull be narrower as well ?

C'mon dude... I can only do so much without completely building something from scratch... if we're looking for actual dimensions, you're going to have to take a VERY sharp knife and start whittling away at the flesh on the HE faces to see what's underneath...

It's all the illusion of what you're creating, and making it stand out from the models around them. If there is someone who REALLY wants "authentic" elf-skulls, I believe that GW came out with some elf bodies (cadavers, recently deceased, and body parts) a few years back as part of the Mordheim release; I know that I've got some deceased skaven and deceased empire troops as part of that set. Maybe someone could find it on Ebay?

Brahm

Haha yeah ok, guess I'm a bit too picky huh