The Odds & Sods Oldhammer Painting Challenge Month 2 - Heroes.

I have to be honest, Richard threw a curve ball in here by choosing Heroes. I was expecting another unit to paint AND I was planning to do something for Orctober. As a point of note, I'm not complaining at Richard's choice, it was a perfectly good one, but my painting doesn't really focus on individuals, I'm a believer in "everything counts in large amounts" so paint for mass impact through knocking out table top standard armies at an alarming rate.

My initial plan was to paint up Morglum Necksnapper on a Wyvern. I've wanted to "convert" this model up for years and had mixed emotions when Harry Howells beat me to it. I'd love him to show off his conversion at some point. It's an awesome sight but I was disappointed he beat me to it.

I have a spare Wyvern but got lazy and decided against it for now.

When I first envisaged this challenge it was about finishing off abandoned projects (which ironically Morglum on a Wyvern now is for me) so I decided to finish off an older project I'd already started a couple of years ago.

So here they are - Gotrek & Felix (and Gotrek & Felix).

I can't think of a more Heroic pair in GW history. These two don't lead a massive army and they aren't from epic origins. There's a disgraced Dwarf who happened upon a mighty runic axe and a merchant's son. They're outlaws who fight to defend the world that rejects them. Thanks to Bill King for creating favourite characters in GW History.

Now, the elephant in the room - why are there two sets?

I have two Dwarf Armies painted up, one is an Imperial Dwarf Army made up of Perry Imperial Dwarfs and Bood War Mini models that is my "main" Dwarf Army. I also have a second one, that's more 4th Ed made up of late 3rd Ed Marauder sculpts that were the models used for 4th Ed and Black Tree Design Dwarfs that...... ahem "more than typed a nod of the hat" to the Marauder Dwarf Range. These Dwarfs have more of a "Clan" feel to them. I decided to distinguish them by painting the Marauder/Black Tree army with Goblin Green base rims in the 4th Ed style. The Imperial Dwarfs had brown base rims in honour of Wayne England's Longbeards. Obviously this meant I HAD to paint up a pair for both armies to complement the base rims.

This also means I'm trying to get get consistency across both pairs (apart from the base rims) and that's how I circle back to being an "Army Painter" rather than an individual figure painter. I may not have painted up fantastic individual models but this pair of pairs should be, on the whole, consistent between both pairs.

Now a bit of fluff that I hope Mr. King will not be offended by, as he's the only author I accept penning tales of these two:

“Keep up Manling” the Slayer boomed, “We have to get to Karak Eight Peaks before that cursed Snotling fondler does”.

Felix breathed deeply, he really struggled with the mountain terrain but he knew the Slayer was right. It had been two days since they’d come across the Goblin Wolf Riders. Gotrek had fallen upon them and torn them apart. During the melee one of the Goblins had let slip that the local Night Goblin Warlord was amassing Greenskin mercenaries to bolster his following with a view to make an attack on Belegar and his defenders.

Knowing King Belegar’s numbers were low the Slayer and his human ally were rushing to their aid, praying they weren’t too late to bolster the defence and inform the King that he needed to be ready for the green tide to descend.

Having been to Eight Peaks before they knew the defenders had occupied one of the many outlying keeps to the main city and they raced against time to arrive before the siege began.

“If there’s one thing I hate more than Night Goblins it’s Night Goblin Warlords who shave off Dwarf beards to humiliate them” bellowed Gotrek, “and I will not let that damned spawn of the thrice accursed Green Gods wipe out my Kin”.