Splintered Fang
Filed Under: Hobby
I began my hobby year by finishing off a Warcry warband I was painting for my friend Roland.
The leader of the Splintered Fang. A real all-time favourite model of mine. Love the concept, love the execution, love the pose. One day I think I shall have my own.
These are the Splintered Fang, one of the original Chaos warbands released for Warcry. Each warband in this initial series represents what worshippers of the Dark Powers might look like when coming from one of the eight Mortal Realms that make up the Age of Sigmar setting.
The Splintered Fang are from Ghyran, the Realm of Life, and worship the Coiling Ones – Chaos entities who claim to be descended from the dead godbeast Nagendra. They love snakes!
Although this guy loves snakes a little bit too much!
When Warcry came out in 2019 I got my friend Roland into it and he bought, built and partially painted this warband. A few months ago I fancied painting a Splintered Fang warband, remembered he had one, and offered to paint his for him. Kindly he obliged and – very slowly – I got on with the job.
This model is the only currently-available Chaos aelf. I think there should be a lot more like them.
Roland had painted the blades icy blue and, though I had carte blanche to do whatever I wanted, I took the striking colour choice and ran with it.
Painting these took a long time, in part because I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to approach them and in part because I was trying my best. I still don’t think they’re quite ‘finished’ as there are so many highlights I could tweak or parts I could try to repaint, but at a certain point you gotta say “Fuck it, that’ll do.”
A big mook. Everyone in the warband has a snakebite somewhere on their body from some kind of initiation ceremony.
While I painted I reflected on how much I like Warcry and the original series of Chaos warbands in particular. The game is fantastic, probably my favourite Games Workshop offering. If you like skirmish games you should give it a go. The warbands add so much detail to the Mortal Realms, demonstrating how diverse tribes, cultures and civilisations are shaped by Chaos. Chaos Undivided isn’t just armour-clad musclebound Norscan himbos now, and that’s great.
A mook.
Also while I painted I reflected on the experience of painting models for someone else. I feel warm and fuzzy and perhaps a little bit closer to my friend, whose friendship I value greatly – but I also kind of want to keep the warband. Is this how commission painters feel?
The whole warband, featuring an extra set of snakes I poached from the old Saurus Knights kit.