Pointy, Dark, and Evil. Just in time for Christmas

So what am I talking about? Why, Dark Elves of course!

The Dark Elf  art that inspired all my deranged thought processes

I haven't played WHFB regularly since 4th edition, and I completely missed 3rd edition (the horror!). Rogue Trader was the game that brought me from AD&D to tabletop, but I have wanted to put ntogether a Dark Elf army since the first time I laid eyes on an article in White Dwarf 144, showcasing Kent Martin's Dark Elf army. Of course as a young man with limited fundage it was out of my reach. I had already spent my meager earnings/allowance on Rogue Trader books and miniatures, but I really had fallen in love with those Marauder figures.

Then 4th edition came and the 3rd ed models went out of production and I collected Orcs. This was before ebay and the 4th ed Marauder figures didn't really capture my interest. Something about the aesthetic and the models must have really stuck with me because I had susubconsciously been getting ready to collect and paint this army for at least the last ten years, picking up one or two loose Dark Elves from that era that I found in bits boxes, hoarding green and blue ink so I could re-create the metallic effects from Mr. Martin's Dark Elves.

Of course Warhammer 40,000 always seemed to be the most popular game here in the US and so my hobby and gaming time reflected that atmosphere. But then I discovered Oldhammer...

Finally there were other whack jobs out there like me who were collecting and painting the same old stuff, almost purely for the love of the miniatures; something you won't see in the modern GW gaming scene of ranks of grey, unpainted, boring, characterless, plastic game pieces. So, this year, I finally decided to collect and paint a 3rd ed Dark Elf army. I blame White Dwarf 144, Marauder Miniatures, and all the enabling bastards that make up the Oldhammer Community.

Have fun scrutinizing this picture

I have collected almost the entire range of Marauder Dark Elves, plus a good chunk of the 3rd edition Citadel Dark Elves, including some of the harder to find models out there. Now that I have them... I have to paint them. I started with a block of 10 Witch Elves. I really like the idea of them worshiping Khorne, as they are sporting Khorne symbols all over the place! With that in mind, I stuck with a red, black, brass color palette. I considered painting my Dark Elves with a pale blue flesh tone, but decided that pale flesh would work better with a bright color palette. Here's a little WIP shot of the Witch Elves, giving you an idea of where i'm heading.

Almost ready to murder!

Inevitably I see this army having blocks of troops that worship different Chaos gods. I am about 99% with a warrior regiment that is dedicated to Slaanesh. With Christmas coming up, I have a little extra time to paint and hope to have some final products to share with all of you soon!