Imperial Progress XIII

Well Axemaster is less than 2 weeks away now, so I have had to submit my army list. Originally I was intending to try to get a large regiment of Halberdiers ready and shift away from the all-cavalry plan I used at Book of Grudges. However, my progress on my Ogre unit fillers was slightly slower than planned, and I got distracted by assembling knights after talking about my scheming for the Battle at the Gates of Kislev. So I took the easy way out and decided I would use another all-cavalry list, incorporating some of the knights I was putting together.

In keeping with the white furry theme of the Knights of the White Wolf, I had already decided that this regiment of knights would be Knights Snow Leopard (white Knights Panther). As such, I want a furry cloak on every model. This presents a logistical problem, as you only get 2 panther cloaks per box of 8 knights, and I have already poached some for my White Wolves. Even if I did have enough, 40 identical cloaks would get a bit samey.

As discussed previously, I decided to make my own cloaks. I sculpted the majority of the cloak myself, although I cheated the head from an old metal Knight Panther. It didn't come out perfectly, but I'm satisfied anyway.

The master cloak, and one of the moulds I made from it.

How my version compares to the one and only plastic version.

The plan was to let the putty cure a bit in the mould, then when it's firm enough to get it out without destroying it, remove it from the mould and drape it over the shoulders of the model. The green stuff should be sticky enough to adhere to the knight without glue, and it leaves some scope for making each cloak individual at the back, given the putty will still be workable. Here's how I've gone so far.

A selection of completed knights.

A closer look. The panther drapes its arm companionably over the knight, whilst whispering tricksy plans in his ear.

Another close-up. The cloak for the champion lost its head because the plume of the helmet under his arm was in the way.

A look at the rear. The variation in the cloaks will be important when there are 40 of them all together...

I now have 19 completed knights, which is enough for Axemaster, so at this point I will focus on painting those. I can go back and add the cloaks to the others later. I have made 6 moulds for the cloak, given waiting around an hour for the green stuff to start curing means a single mould is really not enough. Meh, it's Instant Mold. I can reuse the moulds later.

If you're interested, below is the list I have entered for Axemaster:

Arch Lector of Sigmar Ulric @ 244.0 Pts
     General; Barding; Prayers of Sigmar; Shield; Warhorse
     The Mace of Helstrum [60.0]
     Dawn Armour [35.0]

Wizard Lord of the Amethyst Order @ 270.0 Pts
     Magic Level 4; Lore of Death; Warhorse
     Talisman of Preservation [45.0]

Captain @ 132.0 Pts
     Barding; Full Plate Armor; Battle Standard; Warhorse
     Charmed Shield [5.0]
     Talisman of Endurance [30.0]

Warrior Priest of Sigmar Ulric@ 129.0 Pts
     Prayers of Sigmar; Great Weapon; Warhorse
     Armour of Meteoric Iron [25.0]

Captain @ 159.0 Pts
     Lance; Full Plate Armor; Shield; Pegasus
     Dragonhelm [10.0]
     Crown of Command [35.0]

Captain @ 76.0 Pts
     Barding; Great Weapon; Full Plate Armor; Warhorse

12 Knightly Orders @ 339.0 Pts
     Barding; Full Plate Armor; Great Weapons; Standard; Musician, Preceptor; Warhorse

12 Knightly Orders @ 349.0 Pts
     Barding; Full Plate Armor; Great Weapons; Standard; Musician, Preceptor; Warhorse
     Banner of the Eternal Flame [10.0]

13 Knights of the Inner Circle @ 404.0 Pts
     Barding; Lance; Full Plate Armor; Shield; Standard; Musician, Preceptor; Warhorse

Steam Tank @ 300.0 Pts

5 Pistoliers @ 97.0 Pts
     Brace of Pistols; Light Armour; Musician; Warhorse

And on a slightly different note, I received word last night that Owen has commenced work on converting those Kislevites we will need to man the walls in the overly ambitious battle itself! They are looking very shiny indeed, for a hodge-podge of components and a bit of green stuff. I'm looking forward to painting these guys when they're done. You can see them here...