I'm trying to get back into a regularly scheduled hobby habit, but I've run across a problem: which army do I focus on? Right now I'm interested in two factions, Eldar and White Scars. More specifically, I'm attracted to the new hotness Codex: Harlequins, as my love for space clowns is an odd but enduring part of my 40k experience. And look at this magnificent model:
The details on the new Solitaire are incredible, and his rules look really solid as well. Getting to move 12" ignoring terrain at all times is a huge boon for an assault model. Plus, painting this guy will be a blast. Notice the domino effect on the back of his coat.
I hate paying $26 for these new plastic character kits, but you really do get what you pay for with GW's new sculpts. I've got this guy, a voidweaver, and two skyweaver jetbikers waiting for me, plus whatever conversions I want to make to my Dark Eldar venoms and wyches to incorporate them into a Harlequins force.
On the other hand, with my recent Imperial Knight acquisition I've been itching to work on my homebrew White Scars chapter, the Ravening Angels. The schtick is that this is a spaceborn chapter that's spent a bit too much time in the Eye of Terror and relies on xenos tech to outfit their marines. Here's my take on a multi-melta attack bike:
The conversions here probably demand some explanation. The base kit is a Dark Vengeance biker. The head has been swapped for a Dark Eldar Scourge helmet, the chainsword has been replaced with a Wraithblade, and the back wings have been clipped from the bike and replaced with a brass banner from http://www.steelfistminiatures.com.
To represent the second rider and the multimelta, I've added a chaos warhound toting two of the Necron deathmark rifles, slung over its back with a bit of greenstuff. The idea is that, like Space Wolves, the Ravening Angels have conscripted some beasties into service, in this case carrying heavy weapons. The greenstuff should represent some hard tack, and the warhounds will also see use as Fenrisian wolves for a small detachment of counts-as Thunderwolves. I've been using bits of the deathmark rifles as various special weapons, including grav guns and meltas. It's a really cool jumble of tubes and wires!
But now I have to decide: Imperial semi-chaotic bikers with an Asian theme, or xenos space clowns? Eldar are always my first love, but I'm already pushing 6000 pts of painted elves already. The Ravening Angels, however, require a ton of TLC per model. For some insane reason I decided to drill out all the bolters, for instance, and each bike involves at least four additional bits of kitbashing. And don't get me started on how long it takes to paint a bike....
Any suggestions for what I should focus on next? Leave your comments below!
~Doctor Sprocket
