Scouting for Dark Elves

Sunday means it's time to reveal the Dark Elves for the week. Running parallel to their Woody Cousins, I've got a pack of evil scouts.

Slow but steady through the last few days. I've clearly been on the end of the same Plague Wind as Gen. Stylus. While bent over these tiny horsemen, I've been hacking away like an attic-dwelling bohemian in Paris, and I wasn't sure I was going to get the unit completed. So I took a bunch of morphine-laced cough suppressant and went nuts.

I don't paint cavalry very often. Can't even remember the last one I did, in fact. The Chaos Horseror? Ah well. Anyway, I thought I'd try something crazy for the horses. Really out there.

That's right. I didn't paint them pure black.

I know. They're called Dark Riders, they probably ought to have dark horses. I decided against purely because if the riders were all in shadowy colours, they might get a bit lost in all the horseflesh. Given that their horses have weirdly elven ears, that's clearly something that's on the cards for pervy elves anyway. So after a quick consultation with an internet Horse Colouration Chart...

As wild and varied as an early monopose regiment.

...I decided on Bay Roans for the lot.

There are two flavours of horse in the twelve-strong unit. The armoured ones (with the authentic Dark Rider/Doomfire Warlock models) all look like they're frothing at the mouth. The others are taken from the Glade Riders kit, I think, and as you'd expect, have a slightly more cultured look.

The Phantom of the Cavalry is there
Inside my mind

Some of them have shields. I like the pre-sculpted design (which was lucky), the hooded crow thing is a nicely sinister emblem. Rather than a pure colour, I tried to make it look like they'd put something phosphorecent on it. It's probably a bit too subtle compared to what I was going for (or they put the paint on too early and it's burnt out already), but it's not bad.

The banner is an odd sculpt, though. Same hoody crow, and nicely padded out with a moon and runes. It's only on one side of the banner, though, and rather hard to see.

No wonder it's going so fast, look, someone gave its bum a right slap.

You will almost never see this from battlefield height. #Wasted Effort

Because of the horse split, you could field these guys as two units of six. I toyed with different schemes, then decided better to keep them unified so they can deploy as the single larger unit. There are two musicians and a choice of champions, but just the one banner.

Seriously, the ears on these horses are weird. I was tempted to paint the horse's bit bright orange and then crack some kind of 'What's Up Doc' joke. Luckily I'm too professional. 

She can't understand why the other elves call her unit 'The Bluetits' 

What? Youngsters today, always mumbling.

Painting Guide:

• Horses: Kislev Flesh base, heavy Flesh Wash over that, then layered with Ungor Flesh and highlighted with Ungor Flesh + White Scar. Rhinox Hide socks, Eshin Grey muzzles, Bleached Bone hooves with Brown Ink wash and Tyrant Skull drybrush.
• Cloaks: Black ink washed on to the base coat, then Xereus Purple and X. Purple + Altdorf Guard Blue + White Scar layered on top. 
• Clothes and Barding: Deadly Nightshade wash on the base coat, Altdorf Guard Blue layer then Lucius Lilac drybrush. 
• Armour: Brass Scorpion washed with Agrax Earthshade and highlighted with Burnished Gold
• Shields: Bleached Bone washed with Nuln Oil, then layered with Nurgling Flesh and Hellion Green, then a light White Scar drybrush
• Pink Details: Standard for the Delves, i.e. Emperor's Children with Changeling Pink highlights. The branding on the horses was also washed with red. 

In Other News: This Bolt Thrower

The second and final example for this army. Slightly different colours, with silver trim, purple feathers and an attempt at poison-filled glass bolts. And strings, because that's essential.