The "small" vampire counts army... WIP

[SweMinis]

Hey.
This is my first post here.
I have been collecting lord of the rings miniatures since ~ 2010. Bought a lot back then, some 2017 and the last years. Now have I also started playing.

In February some friends had bought WHFB armies and I joined when they played and it was fun! But I was not going to buy an army.
When I found some skeletons home I could proxy as grave guards I decided I might buy a small army.

This was the state of my army in July.
Since then some have been painted and a few more figures have been bought.

I haven't really decided on any theme of the army so rather buy what I find cool and paint it up when I find inspiration.

Thought I'd post some progress pictures of how I did these and post WIP for the future!

 

[SweMinis]

I bought ~40 skeletons from eBay and decides I wanted to get 60 skeletons from them, to make two 30 blocks. So a few unit fillers were needed.
I got some ghoul parts from a friend I thought I'd be able to get 12 out of, with some fillers.
To the right is what will be the grave guard block. (this picture is last in the post for some reason)

Here is my first unit filler.

Here is the two blocks with skeletons with the unit fillers and the block of grave guards.
They are Zvezda Roman skeletons, I thought it would work well. They are armed with sword and shield.
I also converted an army of the dead from the LOTR range to a necromancer.

Gave the necromancer a dark and from look. Decided to paint him green.

Half of the skeletons were painted when I bought them, but for the rest I needed something fast. I primed them white and then slapped on a layer of agrex, worked for me. I also bought some more ghouls and expanded to 18. I also bought a Wight king to put in the skeleton block to get some kills.

I bought some more ghouls (painted in a scheme I will change, one day), a vargskyr I proxy as a Varghluf and three Vargheists, one is a proxy. This was in June.

I decided to make the ghouls a horde, more fillers were needed. I also made a spirit host with army of the dead figures from GWs LOTR range.

I painted the bases and that's where my army stood in July when the army picture was taken.

I have played two games, one against my friends WoC and one where we played 3v3, me, an empire player and the friend with WoC.

It was a blast both games!
We played 8th edition.

 

[MTD]

Your filler blocks look amazing! Im loving all the custom stuff you have done.
Keep us posted on your progress

 

[SweMinis]

Your filler blocks look amazing! Im loving all the custom stuff you have done.
Keep us posted on your progress

Thank you! Glad to hear you like them.
Before the game in July I also painted up the site wolves, a black base and 5 drybrushed grey and 5 drybrushed brown.

I also managed to get my hands on 2 banshees and 3 wraiths in metal!

After the game in July I took a break and have focused on my LOTR figures.
This Saturday we were going to have a tournament so I started painting up and building some units. The tournament has been cancelled but a few friends will meet and play anyways.

I started building a block of zombies.
I have a friend that play Lizardmen and one that play Empire (middenheim). So I built and painted zombies and fillers to match. I also have a friend that plays WoC that just bought HE and another friend that also wante dto play that just bought some DE, so now I have to get my hands on some models from those armies as well.

Painted the bases yesterday evening but haven't taken a picture yet. The block is 30 strong.

I have primed the black Knight, haven't decided how to paint the barding yet thought, so haven't put the brush to them yet.

I also found some rubber bats in the toy store I bought!

So now the army also has a bat swarm!
And to the good price of 12 bats for 6€.

Hope to take a picture of the whole army soon!

 

[The Sun King]

Such a cool old school army! I love it! Can't wait to see it all painted up.

 

[SweMinis]

Such a cool old school army! I love it! Can't wait to see it all painted up.

Thank you! Yes I like the older models much, so I've tried to get many of them.

Here is a picture of all that is painted now.

The Vargheists, Varghluf (vargskyr), hexwraiths, Vlad, Wight King, black ghouls and the cream skeletons are bought painted.
So I have painted the spirit hosts, tan ghouls, wolves, flesh ghouls, the dark skeletons, zombies, necromancer and the two banshees.

After the picture was taken I put some ghouls on the fillers, should've done that before the picture was taken I know...

I have the 30 block with grave guards, 10 black Knights and 3 wights that is waiting for paint.

I have a metal black coach, 4blood knights and a necromancer waiting to be built and some conversion jobs.

 

[The Sun King]

Awesome stuff!

 

[SweMinis]

Latest two additions to the army, a vampire and a necromancer.

The vampire is this warriors of the dead from GW LOTR range

I started by carving of the arm to get the pauldron from a black knight and cut a sword arm by the elbow. I also sculpted a breastplate, I don't get the one he had that looks like ribs. I sculpted his face to not looks as dead.

I then decided I didn't like the inconsistency between the arm, so cut up another black knight.

I then painted him and tried a red armour on the pauldron and chestplate. I realised I didn't get a closer picture that the army wide, here he is cut from that.

A very bad picture, but I wasn't satisfied with the paintjob so I'm not sad about that. I gave it a silver coat and made it rusty like the chainmail with some dark red, brown and agrax. Then added some silver again.

The "vampire" might be used as a Wight king as well, I'll see what he'll be played as. I traded Vlad after this conversion, so now I already have a vampire, so I'll see!

The necromancer looked like this when I bought it, a 32mm base for AoS.

I removed him from the base and realised the former owner had filled a gap in the back with greenstuff, a gravestone and the spirit.
I used the spirit on my spirit host and have planned to fill the gap since June.
Now I've filled the hole, not my best work since there's a visible "mold line" between the GS and the model, but on the table it won't be that visible so it ok, for now at least.
I also removed the keys on his staff, didn't see a need for them. Then gave it all a few layers of drybrush and then nuln oil.

Here's the two finished models!

And the back:

Hope you like them!

 

[MedMos]

Good stuff! I'm intrigued by the bat swarms, are they a hard or soft plastic? I never really thought of looking for little toy bats, but now it seems so obvious!

Edit: D'oh, rubber bats! Learn to read, I must. Well, new question, did you paint them up or just leave them as they were?

 

[SweMinis]

Good stuff! I'm intrigued by the bat swarms, are they a hard or soft plastic? I never really thought of looking for little toy bats, but now it seems so obvious!

Edit: D'oh, rubber bats! Learn to read, I must. Well, new question, did you paint them up or just leave them as they were?

Thanks for the nice words!
Yes as you found they're rubber, so very easy to bend and make a hole through. I haven't painted these. I made and painted the base, the pins are paper clips. I made a hole through the body of the bat and then just put it on a paper clip. So I haven't glued them yet.

It was a fun and fast process getting them ready, and the bats only cost me 6$ so that was great!

 

[SweMinis]

After being silent for a few months I had a 1100 pts game against a friend who has built himself a DE army and for the first time I lost really bad. My necromancer started with an irresistible spell and blew most of his block in the air but survived. A few turns later the enemy wizard threw a magic missile in his face and he dies. Too bad for me.

It gave me some inspiration to get some more units done. My blood knights (Empire Knights I'll paint differently) have finally been built after 10 months.

Today I printed them so now I have four units primed and ready for paint.

I still have a metal Black coach in unbuilt. And then it's just some bits and models I'll turn into zombies, I'll save that fun part until a bad day!

Hopefully I'll get here painted soon.
During the Silence I have planned, bought, built and today primed a 1500 points Bretonnian army. So now I have two.[UWSL] [/UWSL]

 

[The Sun King]

Nice to see you back! And great to hear you also have a Bret army - I used to play VC and Bret myself

 

[Gederas]

Very nice! Any plans on colour scheme for the Brets?

 

[Unas the slayer]

View attachment 63877

Undead roman legionnaires!
I approve.

 

[SweMinis]

Nice to see you back! And great to hear you also have a Bret army - I used to play VC and Bret myself

Thanks! Nice, I'm planning to play VC and Bret's.

Very nice! Any plans on colour scheme for the Brets?

Thank you. Archers I've planned to paint as peasants durin the 14th century. The men at arms probably the same, gambesons in many colours like seen in the Morgan bible. Knights I'll look at heraldry from the 14th century.

Undead roman legionnaires!
I approve.

Yes! I had those so they were the reason I started with VC. Been a year and they're not painted yet
Really like the style and the historical connection. Have thought about buying Atlantic's skeletons when I buy more skeletons since they have that ancient Greek style. Would work with the Roman grave guards.

 

[SweMinis]

I didn't say I was gonna paint did I? I said I would build more spirit hosts and zombies, right? This thing called prioritising might not be my favourite.

I also started working on a corpse cart I've thought about for a year. Not sure where to go with it though. Guess I want a necromancer there. Made a small cart with popcicles and thought I'd put two rods out and have two zombies pulling it. Maybe adding two more zombies (or five them 20mm bases). Then add some body parts on the cart. But not sure if and if so where I'll put a necromancer. And if I should glue him there or just leave room for a 20mm base. I've thought of copying the black coach wheels with bluestuff and milliput to have wheels for it. Not sure I'd like it to be a sleigh.

 

[SweMinis]

Became 15 zombies in the end. A filler to represent 4 with a big orc and then 11 on 20mm bases. I felt that I had too many fillers in my 30 block so wanted more on 20mm bases. Pretty happy about them. Now I got a WoC and marauder for when I play my friend with WoC and one DE for games against my DE playing friend. And made some more Empire and one more Lizard. Have two friends who play Empire (who also have some Orcs and goblins) and Lizardmen so think it's fun to have some zombies with that theme.

Wednesday I started on the corpse cart. Decided against a dedicated space for a necromancer, I have 2 more chariot bases so if I want one with a necromancer I guess I'll build one more! I copied the wheels and two causualties (used on Bretonnia unit fillers) and made the wagon with popcicles. went with a monthly pyhton style wagon with two pulling and one pushing. I don't have a bell so left the fourth person out. Might have to fix someone and add later, he could be the driver.
I added a cut up bretonnian archer, some empire legs and various heads and skulls, I'm pretty happy with the result!

Today I primed them, now they're ready for paint!
The spirit hosts are already on the painting table so left them out from this picture.
Will be fun to get these painted up!

 

[SweMinis]

Now there's six of them!

I call the spirit hosts done. Both the three new and the three I made last year. I hurried through painting them so only put a base paint on the tombstones, now all six have gotten two drybrush highlights also, they look better.

Some have gotten a little brown paint from the bases on them in different areas, guess I should fix that before calling them done, oh well. It's not noticeable when they're on the table.

 

[The Sun King]

Awesome conversions!

 

[SweMinis]

Awesome conversions!

Thank you!

Here comes the finished zombies:

And the full 45 man unit of zombies:

I've had problems with making my unit trays too small. This one is too large, will it never be good?

I'm very happy with how these turned out. I've put the brush to a blood knight but took a small break and have started on some terrain instead.
First thing today was some clump foliage I hope I'll use on future projects.

 

[SweMinis]

I did make some terrain back in June which I obviously didn't show.

For the first time since June I picked up my brushes yesterday and started painting. Today I finished the corpse cart.
I wanted it a bit grim and wanted to paint it fast to get started. I'm very happy with the result, I think it will look great on the gaming table.

 

[SweMinis]

When I bought my vargheists I got 3, but ended up just using two and make a third from the small guy. Since those paintjobs looked the best together.

Finally have I given the fourth a base, I out him on a base, which together with the painjob will make him easily visible as the vargoyle.