Galahir We Go!

Despite having half as many models to paint, I seem to have been soundly beaten by Kraken for completing Dwarf King's Quest, Infernal Crypts, Tyrant of Halpi and Return of Valandor.

Not that it's a race. Certainly not a close one.

But Warlord of Galahir? With almost 500 greenskins under my belt, I flatter myself as the WoffBoot's leading goblinophile and I couldn't hold up my pointy nose if I wasn't first to finish that set.

Despite my enthusiasm for all things green (or perhaps because of it), this was the Dungeon Saga expansion I was least geared up for. So to try something new I went with a brown primer to see how it would affect the painting.

I used a brown spray from Halfords - and while the Black and Grey paints make a good economical choices, this one came out very dark brown and shiny.

Just like your dad's old Hillman Imp.

They came out okay after some drybrushing and washes, and I like the speed and tone that a brown undercoat starts off with - although next time I might loosen the pursestrings and get a can of Mournfang Brown.

Goblins first, and as soon as I got to painting them, I instantly liked them. Lots of character in these little sculpts, and enough mangy details to make them seem ragtag. My one quibble is the feet really lose detail, so they have flippers rather than toes.

I went with the same dungeon-tile base of greys-over-black, but just as the Infernal Crypts were characterised by lava seeping through the cracks, I wanted to theme this crew along similar lines. I used liberal amounts of Nurgle's Rot to show slime and algae seeping through the cracks (I assumed a goblin dungeon would be dirtier than average).

To contrast with the red-and-metal of the Infernal Crypts, I avoid those colours in the Green Tide. The armour and blades are brown undercoat, drybrushed with XV-88 and Tinny Tin, with a wash of Agrax Earthshade, to make it look suitably tatty.

The skin is Death World Forest, with an Agrax Earthshade wash. Splashes of colour from Fiery Orange and Ahriman Blue (which was destined for Tzeentch, but was too nice to pass by).

The brown undercoat was handy in leaving recesses for eyes and teeth, as well as the occasional belt and straps (although I mostly overpainted them in another type of brown). The arrow feathers were also painted Ahriman Blue (new bottle syndrome - open a new colour and it suddenly seems a good idea on everything).

Next up were the Orcs (or is it Orx - I loose track of the nomenclature). The same tack as the goblins, only a tad less colourful, and I used Castellan Green for the skin colours.

I really like these orc sculpts too - they seem to be a missing link between the very human proportions of the LotR orcs, and over-muscled apes of the GW orcs.

That said, these particular 'Morax' models are placed really oddly on their bases - like they're leaning over backwards. I gave them both the hot water treatment, so I don't think it's a positioning issue. Either way. if I had my way again, I'd be tempted to cut them from the bases and shift the front foot to the corner of the base, rather than the centre.

These archers - 'skulks' - are my favourite of the orc sculpts. The bow isn't usually seen as an orcy weapon (unless you're Boromir), although the idea as a bow being the weapon for weaklings doesn't really fit with the draw strength required to shoot the things. Either way, I like the whole kit they've got, especially the hoods.

And I can't remember if I deliberately tweaked the bows to make them different shapes (one drawn, one loosed), but it works.

Here was one model I wasn't expecting to like. It's a fairly squat pooch, but it really works for me. Of course, it helps that it was the easiest model to paint - just drybrush and add teeth,

I suppose I was going to be disappointed in one model in the set. These orclings did nothing for me. Aside from being bloody fiddly to paint, on account of them all being stuck down (you try reaching a brush to the one in the back-right corner), they're just not that interesting.

It might be because there's no sense of scale here - their weapons, armour and clothes are all on their own size, so they don't really look like a crowd of miniature critters, just 15mm scale models on the same base.

I eschewed green skin here for Balor Brown and Seraphim Sepia - giving them an 'unripe' yellowish colour, to show their junior relationship to the goblins.

The trolls here are pretty good as generic 'big fellas' (although they seem quite well armed and armoured for trolls - shouldn't they be ogres?). I kept away from the green skin here as well (that's covered with the zombie trolls), and went with Dawnstone, with a Nuln Oil wash and Rakarth Flesh drybrush.

These models probably benefited the most from the brown undercoat - since it's the basis of their armour, but it works out better than shiny metal armour.

And finally we come to the Orc Warlord: Thrundak Skullsplitter or, as I like to call him, Why The Hell Did I Try To Paint Tartan?

Cloak notwithstanding, it's a good model, although the details unfortunately soften around the jaws, so you don't get as much detail on the face (which doesn't help that I went with a very dark colour for the flesh).

The cloak is Ahriman Blue (told you I liked the colour), chequered with Warpstone Glow, then again with Yriel Yellow. I think I got away with it, but damn, it was a big patch of area to freehand.

Lastly, the two adventurers, and we're way off-piste with nonhumans here. Like the rest of the set, I wasn't so enthusiastic at the prospect of this Salamander, and changed my mind when I got to paint him.

The flesh was Flayed One Flesh with a Reikland Flesh wash. The carapace was Screamer Pink with Carroburg Crimson wash, Zandri Dust drybrush.

The part I was most pleased with is the flaming sword: Averland Sunset base, then touched with Fiery Orange and Yriel Yellow, drybrushed at the joins with Fiery Orange and White Scar, washed with Cassandora Yellow and there you go.

It was the same story for the Gladewaker - unenthusiastic until I started painting him. The toga is a grey undercoat with a Drakenhof Nightshade wash, then drybrushed with Ulthuan Grey. The 'flesh' (sapwood?) is Tallarn Sand with Agrax Easrthshade, with the bark is Dryad Bark (natch).

Both of these adventurers are pretty big guys - they dwarf the other adventurers (especially the dwarf) and even stare down the end-level orc and abyssal bosses. Although I doubt this scale creep will continue when I get to the halfling.

So that's the full set - and good start for my painting tally. For the first (and only) time, I've completed more painted models than days in the year.