With the release of spectacular new miniatures for the Warriors of Chaos, a wave of corruption has swept through the Warhammer Studio. We’ve seen frenzied activity from several members of the team, all eager to get their new models onto the battlefield, so we just had to show them off.
Danny
I started this project by painting two large units, one of Marauders and one of Chaos Warriors, my plan being to have a solid core of infantry completed before moving on to more elite units, characters and monsters. Making full use of the options available to them, my Marauders are armed with hand weapons, flails and shields, and this is reflected by combining models armed with hand weapons and shields with flail-armed models in a single unit. Mixing them in this way shows my opponents how the unit is equipped, and really suits their barbarous and unruly nature.
The Skin Wolves also deserve special mention here – I’ve been a fan of the Wolves of the Sea Army of Infamy since the beginning of its development and have played with it a lot. For me, the Skin Wolves are an iconic unit from that Army Composition list and I couldn’t resist getting some painted up.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Chaos Lord on Dragon was the (not so) miniature I enjoyed painting the most. It was nice to put into practice the skills honed on previous projects on such an awesome centrepiece miniature. I am really pleased with the final product and can’t wait to terrorise my regular opponents with my new beastie!
I’ve got a unit of Chaos Marauder Horsemen and a host of Chaos Knights on my hobby desk at the moment. Once they are finished, I plan to add some Dragon Ogres, Chariots, and a second Chaos Dragon, this time ridden by a Sorcerer Lord!
Quinn
The new Chaos Warriors were a real treat for me, as they both subtly hark back to the plastic Chaos Warriors from the nineties (my first ever Warhammer kit),* and let me finally try my hand at recreating the ‘Iron Wolves’, as featured in White Dwarf 290.
As an expansion for my all-marauder Wolves of the Sea Battle March army, most of my paint scheme was already established, but as the warriors are so heavily armoured I knew that using a metallic undercoat would pay dividends. Where on the Marauders I applied a Mechanicus Standard Grey zenithal spray and a Corax White drybrush over Rhinox Hide, for the Warriors I subbed in a Leadbelcher zenithal and Stormhost Silver drybrush. This gave me the same warm undertone in the recesses with a cool gradient over the top, just with a metallic finish. Over this, all I needed to complete the armour was a Coelia Greenshade wash, followed by Ironjawz Yellow on the trim and a final drybrush of Ironbreaker, meaning these models went from bare plastic to looking almost table-ready very quickly.
Following this first batch of five test models, I’ve got plenty more Warriors of Chaos underway, as they’ll form the core of a regiment of 17 Warriors joined by a battle standard bearer, with a champion-led block of Chaos Knights waiting in the wings. Building them all at once also allowed me to swap heads, shoulders and shields between the Warriors and Knights, which is a great way of maximising variety in the units and hint at the Knights’ higher status with careful selection of components.
Dave
I’ve always been a fan of the Chaos Warriors, their armour-clad forms looming over the brave heroes or noble knights of the enemy. With the release of Arcane Journal: The March of Chaos, I was very much drawn to the Hordes of Chaos Army of Infamy, and loved the idea of Warriors of Chaos and Beastmen Brayherds united in their disdain for the weak nations of the Old World who cower behind their city walls.
I personally prefer armies of untamed, undivided Chaos – the kind that wants to tear down civilisation and cover the land in darkness. It’s so classically and satisfyingly evil, and evokes the looming sense of constant doom synonymous with the World of Legend. With this in mind, I wanted to paint my warriors in colours that had a primal, bestial feel to them, as though they’d given themselves over to utter ruination. Whilst the classic dark iron armour is iconic, I wanted to try something different…
I used Runelord Brass for the majority of the armour, washed with Agrax Earthshade and then highlighted with Canoptek Alloy. I then painted the armour trim with Iron Warriors, and the furs and cloaks with Abaddon Black and Eshin Grey respectively, shading all of them with Nuln Oil and then drybrushing with lighter shades (which was an absolute breeze with how beautifully detailed the new models are). Overall this created a dramatic visual contrast between the warm, primal brass and cold, merciless steel, really capturing the contradictory nature of Chaos Undivided.
I sadly didn’t finish painting my Chaos Dragon in time to feature here, but the big, green monstrosity is going to be joining my army very soon, along with a hearty block of Gors and a Ghorgon for good measure.
Thanks, folks! If you want to take your first steps into the World of Legend grab the Warhammer: The Old World Core Set and decide whether to desecrate the land with the Warriors of Chaos or defend it with the Armies of Grand Cathay.
* Thanks for making us all feel old, Quinn!
