Prot's Awakening. A tale of my Eldar Folly.

[Karhedron]

I was thinking of getting yncarne in the near future. How is the assemble and how hard would it be to do a sub assembly of spirit energy and her just by herself?

It is not too hard but I would definitely recommend sub-assemblies. Painting the energy swirls is a lot easier before they are wrapped up into a spiral. I assembled mine into 4 sub-assemblies as shown below:

[Prot]

 

Look at his above, and look at mine.... I hate putting models together, and I found this model very frustrating. I do love painting, but I admit assembly is not my thing. I've never liked converting... just creating with paint.

 

The picture above has me several hours in already. I'm slowly liking the job, but I've seen some fast air  brush versions that look okay, but I wanted this to be a centerpiece.

 

I will say that I still don't have all the joints perfectly lined up. The reality is I probably did some minor connections wrong, like how the hair joins the main stem. But I'm going to try to save it.

 

The thing is I thought some of the contact points were super small and finicky. So I went and got Guerrilla Glue and used it on some of those joints (I just don't want this thing falling apart in transit).

 

I am jealous of the people who can paint it in stages like Kar, but I admit my ability to get it assembled after painting without giant seams is probably non-existent!

[Karhedron]

I am jealous of the people who can paint it in stages like Kar, but I admit my ability to get it assembled after painting without giant seams is probably non-existent!

You are too modest, your painting is amazing. My best work on my favourite characters comes close (on a good day) to the sort of finish your give your line units. 

[Prot]

While I appreciate that I think you’re being too generous. That Yncarne is close to getting kicked off the to do table unless I can turn it around.

 

I have painted and sold a lot of armies though and I know once I get a bad taste in my mouth about a project I am likely to dump it. So I’ll try to make this work.

[MithrilForge]

While I appreciate that I think you’re being too generous. That Yncarne is close to getting kicked off the to do table unless I can turn it around.

 

I have painted and sold a lot of armies though and I know once I get a bad taste in my mouth about a project I am likely to dump it. So I’ll try to make this work.

 

Perhaps take a step back Prot...i know when i hate painting something or it's annoying me i put it down and do something else till my Mojo comes back or i'm more focused to go back to it...

 

Cheers, Mithril

[Dread]

I think the list looks solid. You think a lot like me in list building and game mechanics. I've had a tough go of it with my CW ad well. I haven't got to play since the Phoenix Rising book came out but am anxious to try.

 

You do the same thing I do trying to take 2 detachments, the troop tax minimum squad size. If cp's are the reason for it I've decided to forego them and take an out rider and spearhead. Only 5 cp but worth giving up the tax to have my jet bikes all over the tabletop. Our transports cost so many points that I will only take them for wraith guard or elite units and then a quarter of a 2k list just got sicker up. Since we are just doing 1500 and 1750 games right now, just not worth it.

 

I do have to confess that I hit the sisters hard as I too have had a sisters army since their release years ago and turned my attention to them as well. But my best friend got me the Phoenix book for Christmas and now I'm ready to put my CW back on the table. Detachment 1 is Said Hann and Detachment 2 will be custom, masterful shots and students if vaul. I'll make a bat rep once I get to field mine.

 

Let us know how your new list works out.

 

As for your Yncarne, looking good so far. I'm a build and then paint hobbiest. Mine got built as the Great Harliquin and then a few weeks later the new Harliquin book dropped. Everyone I convert something, ah I digress. I use it in a Harliquin/Ynarri list with the Yncarne rules now. Here's mine:

Edited February 20, 2020 by Dread

[Prot]

While I appreciate that I think you’re being too generous. That Yncarne is close to getting kicked off the to do table unless I can turn it around.

I have painted and sold a lot of armies though and I know once I get a bad taste in my mouth about a project I am likely to dump it. So I’ll try to make this work.

Perhaps take a step back Prot...i know when i hate painting something or it's annoying me i put it down and do something else till my Mojo comes back or i'm more focused to go back to it...

Cheers, Mithril

Well I let it sit for 2 days and it bugged me. lol

I put in another 3-4 hours on the basic energy colours, hair, body and swords. Blocked in some basic base colours just to give it some context.

Hopefully the work is starting to show. I gotta admit I tried fixing (with a knife) the back of the hair imperfections. It's still a little 'off' but maybe it's tolerable? The next step would be better defining some of the body suit, adding the metallics, working on the face, etc.

[SkimaskMohawk]

It's definitely coming together. I feel that half the time my harlequins don't look good until I've blocked in all the colours and highlighted the most blended areas. Really gotta sharply define some features.

 

I think the only thing I don't like about yncarne (the model, not the paintjob) is the part of the hair that is kind of floating on its own. It just sticks out completely and seems to be a failed in-between of the spirits and hair pieces.

[MithrilForge]

Hey Prot, yeah it's coming along now ...Subtle, but i can see it, as you said bodysuit, Metallic's and face will probably breathe the "Pop" into it that we're expecting  

 

I really love your army theme colours and i didn't mention it earlier but the black vents and the canopies in the new way you did them really made a great improvement and it's an awesome looking army....

 

I played Eldar years ago so can't really comment on today's mechanics of them in this edition but suffice to say they are not a jump in and play type army...lots of games with lots of different variations of the army brought victory...over time...  A very opposite army to the Nu-Marines of today which are practically plug and play (which i admit is great for newbies getting into 40k who don't want to be put off by losing..every single game... ) 

what i'm trying to say is hats of to you good sir for choosing a set army and trying hard to make it work...not many can do that  

i hope in the future you find that golden mix of Aeldari that works for you!!

 

Cheers, Mithril 

[Prot]

Thanks Mithril. Right now I’m dividing my games between Eldar and my Thousand Sons. Similar but very different armies. Eldar seem to have infinite choices comparatively speaking but many don’t work well together.  

[Prot]

Yncarne time. I'm really happy with the end result. It's a difficult fig to work with.

[Ulfast]

Wonderful painting. Great work.

[Prot]

Thank you.

 

I have just completed a new battle report, this time on the blog.

 

New Ynarri (to me) and Craftworlds vs. Genestealer Cult.

 

Here is a sneak peak:

 

 

If you're curious, the batrep can be found here: https://prot40k.blog/2020/02/26/competitive-quickie-40k-battle-report-eldar-vs-gsc-post-pa/

[SkimaskMohawk]

I've had precisely one game against gsc and I know the feeling of being completely bamboozled by deployment options/tricks and the various mining weapons the imperium can mass produce, which also are more reliable weapons of war than powerfists and the like.

 

I feel like your spears are just sandbagging because they're stuck with old models on old wimpy bikes lol.

[Prot]

Haha.. I think you’re right. That’s the only explanation for how crappy my Spears are performing. The funny thing is this time they lost relic hunters and the extra assault inch, but gained Soul burst and rerolls to hit if 1 and all to wound!

 

they feel like they should get more from the charge inherently. The thing is I give the Exarch a 3+ invuln and that’s it, but he usually makes it in to CC. The last time he was a craftworlds spear and I gave him Protect and Fortune but they did nothing against Tau. This time less survivable but more stabby.  
 

ah well... at least some parts of the list worked. I’m used to playing GSC and they are so janky you have to know the tricks or you get slaughtered without really knowing why. 

[Dread]

She looks great! The colors are so rich and vibrant, what brand of paint did you use? I bet in person the colors pop even better. Keep it up, pleasure to see.

 

As for the spears, conversion isn't really hard if you want I can show you how I did mine.

[Prot]

She looks great! The colors are so rich and vibrant, what brand of paint did you use? I bet in person the colors pop even better. Keep it up, pleasure to see.

 

As for the spears, conversion isn't really hard if you want I can show you how I did mine.

thanks very much. I really enjoyed painting her so much I’m dying to do Yvraine. 

 

I have this issue where I make plans to play tournaments but end up trying for best painted instead of winning.... which used to b the opposite for me 10 years ago. In fact last year this happened to me with Black Legion.  I had a mediocre performance and won best painted. A lot of the current Eldar really don’t do much for me but some of the sculpts are still holding their own. 

 

if you have an easy conversion method I’d love to hear it. I do have a second exarch upper body from buying two boxes. 

 

On a side note I took my Thousand Sons out for a spin tonight and really missed the dynamic my current list had going. I’m not sure how much I can improve it, but it is fun and challenging. 

[Dread]

Sorry for the late pesponse. On the spears, using the new jetbikes model, I glued the legs to the torso then cut the body off at the waist. The bottom of the pewter torso is rounded so I drill out the plastic then glue it into position. Now the old spears had that piece in their left hand that glued where the handle bars attached, I never liked that. So I used the plastic left arm and attached it.

[Prot]

Thanks for the response. I was just very curious.

 

I'm getting back into my Eldar for a bit, and I picked up a 3 man bike squad to expand my current 6 man spears squad. It was then that I realized the bikes are actually different. lol

 

So I've kind of sabotaged my idea in an effort to keep the bikes looking the same. :)

[Prot]

Well work has actually been very busy for me personally since being mandated to work from home.

But it’s also made me more efficient ( I work in technology). And I think I am going to use this opportunity to expand my Eldar and force myself to get better at them.

As a side note I would like advice on audiobooks. I’m really grinding through some of them and I’ve been listening to Jain Zar on and off for a month or two. Does anyone have a suggestion for a strong Eldar based audiobook I can listen to while painting the army?

Second piece of business is my list. I’ve come to an agreement with myself. I cannot over use the models I like anymore. What I mean is I’m in a fairly, high competitive environment and I think this has lead to some of my burn out.

The good news is I took a long time to come up with my scheme, and I like it. I also as a result, enjoy using my DIY rules making my lists a little more flexible.

So this means while I love Wraith units, I cannot in good conscience, try to be competitive with a Wraithknight, and 2-3 squads of Wraiths gobbling up all my points. In ITC this has become suicide, and in Maelstrom it’s lead to severe board control struggles.

That said I refuse to give up what I want at my core for the hobbiest in me. I’m just not sure how to fill it out. So I am asking for feedback here.

Stuff I Really Want To Use:

2 squads of Rangers
1 squad of 8 to 10 foot bound axe/shield Wraiths
Some, if not all of my 5 freshly painted artillery ( currently all Vibros but I have the other weapons)
1-2 of my spiritseers
1 Farseer Skyrunner ( I would like to seriously consider painting another Farseer. Even on foot. I just think the model is awesome and the powers are just so good)
1 Warlock on bike

Stuff I’d like in the List But not Mandatory:

1 Wraithlord. Painted to have Fists and a missile launcher.
1 -2 wave Serpents. ( painted but one has a twin brightlance unfortunately)
5-10 Banshees. ( partially painted but I know these mostly suck)
Jain Zar. ( same as above)
6 Shining Spears ( I just started painting them but a little expensive and hard to support with my army. I can see why people use 3 large squads in tournaments though)

+edit+ Forgot this... my latest painted character model; the Ynncarne.

Stuff I own but have no strong feeling on:


Crimson Exarch. ( I own one magnetized. I painted it, love how it looks just no idea why these are popular at their points. Maybe I need to buy more?)
Wraithfighter. ( same as above but perhaps worse? The Psyker ability is okay, but I feel like this thing is massively overcosted)
5 Dark Reapers. ( assembled and base coated. I flip flop on these guys. They seem to hog CP and require babysitting?)
1-2 Falcons. Partially built but they always seem to get bumped from my lists)
1-2 Venoms. ( New in box. Just can’t find a use for them)
Wraithknight. ( just finished building this guy but I think he’s killing me for pints when I use Wraiths on top of it)
Lots of Dire Avengers
Lots of Guardians.
1-2 additional Wraithlords.

So any feedback going forward with this second push would be much appreciated.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Prot

[Maxxreloaded]

Taking on board your thoughts -

 

Ynarri supremacy command - Idea from An recent online gaming article

8 wraith blades

Wraithlord - use as a wraithseer if possible . WL trait and relic

Wave serpent

Ynncarne

Farseer skyrunner

 

Custom chapter - master artisan + flavour of choice

Farseer

Warlock maybe a spiritseer too

Rangers x2

Guardians or Dire avengers

Darkreapers - 1 CP a turn

Falcon

Vibrio cannons

Crimson Exarch

 

The above can be a battalion and a spearhead

 

Fill out as flavour - I think I would go banshee and a falcon depending on local meta

Falcon is redundancy and some transport capacity (Hide characters for first turn)

Banshee to shot down something for a turn or two until you’re ready to deal with it

 

Not sure how the list would deal with indirect fire - prob the crimson Hunter if space for LoS

[Prot]

Thanks. I just finished a third Night Spinner and I got to try them out in one list.  
 

The thing I wonder is the Wraithseer. Is it better than another Farseer? I’m trying to properly support that big Wraith Squad on foot. 
 

Also as much as I love that Ynncarne model I just don’t know if I have the points or if it makes sense in this list. 
 

Are the Dark Reapers a stronger choice in this list than the Nightspinners?

[Maxxreloaded]

Ah! Apologies I missed the spinners

 

For me wraithseers offers options and redundancy.

 

Wraithseer can provide a 6+ FNP or

Roll three D6 ,discard the lowest for friendly wraith units when they advance or charge - very handy to ‘move’ our slow units across the board once they are on foot or ensure a charge goes off from deep strike.

 

The wraithseer also offers another credible threat to the wraiths

 

Re Ynncarne- I like ‘it’ not been able to use it to full potential.

 

Dark reapers for me yes - they provide high AP and / or murder marines etc. 1CP to fire and fade a turn.

 

I’ve never used spinners , though their non line of site shooting is golden and will murder hordes. I’d take two in conjunction with the reapers.

Edited April 17, 2020 by Maxxreloaded

[Prot]

Alright I think I have a list now for tonight’s game! 

 

I’m afraid it’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast since once again it includes most of my favourites. I would say it might have some potential.

 

Originally I was working on an extra 5 Axe Wraiths to join the 5 I already painted. They’re a lot of work, but the thinking was at the time that the Eldar can protect them decently in the Psychic phase on foot. But with the Ynnari detachment they will not have that luxury so I’ve put 5 in a Serpent, with Yvvraine, the Yncarne and a Wraithseer.

 

I managed to keep the Vanguard with the Vibro’s (4 in total). A battalion with 2 Spinners, and a 5 man Reaper unit which I hope performs but I wan’t be able to protect them well..... Finally I have the Farrseer/Warlock on bikes combo running with a CHE and I think that’s all I could fit.

[Maxxreloaded]

If the terrain permits fire and fade reapers from their max range , i rarely do more myself .

 

I’ve found the rest of the psychic abilities need to be used else where.

 

Let us know how the game goes