Those who have now received their Tomb Kings of Khemri boxed sets are now the proud owners of a Necrolith Bone Dragon – the first fearsome new monster for Warhammer: The Old World. These ancient dragons once roamed the mountains to the east of Khemri, and were captured and forced to serve their masters in times past.
Centuries later, these once regal creatures have been reanimated into a grim parody of their former selves, and are ridden by the Tomb Kings and Liche Priests who commanded them in life. Now, however, they’re in your hands, possibly even built and ready to paint. Adding pigment to this mighty beast is almost as daunting as facing one down in battle, but the Warhammer Painting Team are here with a comprehensive video to make us Immune to Terror.
The Bone Dragon is not a small project, and you don’t need two painters to complete it, but Ollie and Emma both wanted to get involved, so they divvied the work up between them. We asked them for their tips for painting this bony behemoth.
WarCom: There was a bit of contention over who was going to paint which parts! Were you happy with which elements you got?
Ollie: Absolutely! I got to paint the Bone Dragon itself, which has to be one of the coolest and most unique models we’ve made! Don’t get me wrong, I love the Tomb King model and all his crazy weapon options, but the Necrolith Bone Dragon takes the Khemri cake.
Emma: Now, seeing I was kind enough to let Ollie have his lovely bone dragon, I really wanted to paint the Tomb King who sits upon it. As someone who was around when Tomb Kings came out back in the day, seeing this model come back to life was great. And like Ollie said, all those weapon options and ornate armour details are amazing!
WarCom: What was your plan of attack for this huge model?
Ollie: Seeing as the Bone Dragon is mostly bone (obviously), I let the undercoat do most of the work for me. I decided an undercoat of wraithbone spray combined with thinned-down Skeleton Horde for all the darker areas would create an awesome, naturalistic look.
WarCom: The Tomb King is an impressive undead monarch. What was your approach to painting him so that he matched Ollie’s fossilised colossus?
Emma: One really simple way to get a Tomb King to match his mighty dragon is by using the same colours for similar details. The gold, gemstones, and cloak are all in the same colours, mostly in the same steps – making them look like a unified pair.
There were only a few details that had to be painted that were unique to his undead highness: the preserved blue-tinted skin, the blade of his weapon, and his glowing eyes. But these small details can really help make our king stand out on top of such a gargantuan beast, making him that desiccated cherry on our Khemrian cake.
WarCom: What other advice do you have for people who want to tackle intimidating miniatures like this?
Ollie: Even though a model may look daunting, there’s always a way to tackle it. A good idea is to break your paint job down into sections and start painting it bit by bit. For example, you could start by painting all the cloth on your mini. Once that’s done, move onto all the armour. Before you know it, your model will be finished. Try not to get overwhelmed and just have fun with it.
Thanks guys! Check out all of the Warhammer Painting Team’s videos on the official Warhammer YouTube channel to get advice on how to paint everything from Tomb Guard to movement trays and beyond.