I actually managed to paint 2 female models in time for Leadballoony‘s 3rd Fembruary Challenge, so I thought I’d post this one too. They both also qualify for the Official Warhammer Instagram painting competition; also to paint any female (Games Workshop) model by the end of February.

I have an eldar army for 2nd ed 40K which has been assembled an largely undercoated for about 12 months or so. I was intending to work on it last year, but I happened to join a Mordheim group and my entire hobby output last year was almost entirely Mordheim related (no bad thing). Check the RadHeim tumblr from this month (February 2020) for some pictures of my Estalian warband–not yet posted on this blog unfortunately. But now it’s time to get back into it.

My chosen Cratfworld, after some deliberation, is Alaitoc. Drawing an old name from Rogue Trader, specifically the Alaitoc Warp Hunters, a semi-piratical band of eldar based out of the Alaitoc Craftworld. Fluff was limited to just a name and a banner in those days.

Originally, I wanted to Eldar pirates (i.e. from the 2nd ed codex, before there were any Dark Eldar) but ultimately I wanted to paint aspect warriors and the Avatar and there is no fluff way those things can be part of an eldar pirate army. In truth though, I have more than enough eldar models to do a second eldar army after this one, which will be pirates, not aligned to any craftworld. I figure the background of Alaitoc allows me to add some pirates into this army later though (as well as exodites!) if I want to.

This is the first completed model for the army, a female proto-Dire Avenger from the Rogue Trader days.

I went for a tabletop level quality so I could get it done fast. I spent many years thinking I was not good enough at painting to do justice to my eldar and all I ended up with was a bunch of unpainted models. It’s time to just get them done! Anyway, from a normal tabletop viewing distance I think it looks great–if I do say so myself.

Colours:

Helmet: GW Flash Gitz Yellow, shaded with GW Contrast Iyanden Yellow and highlighted by adding white up to pure white.

Blue: Base coat of GW Regal Blue watered down heavily with GW Guilliman Blue (an old wash, any blue ink would do). Then I used Ultramarine Blue to base coat the armour plates and added white to highlight. I added the highlights on really garishly, then glazed heavily with blue ink to tone them down before doing a final edge highlight in thinned pure white. I intended to use Enchanted Blue for this but I lost it when moving house only finding it again after this figure was completed. The rest will use Enchanted Blue as their base colour.