Last of the Elven Archers

    Final batch of 28mm Warhost Elven archers -- still have more Elves to go, but the archers all done!

After being a bit disappointed at how long it took me to finish the previous batch, I set out to get this group of 28mm Warhost Elves done more quickly. Thankfully, I was successful in cranking them out in just over a week or so. These are the final archers for the army, which means I'm close to getting the whole army completed -- yay! I have honestly enjoyed painting these elves...and the orcs and goblins before them. I am planning on taking a breather before I do another army for Dragon Rampant, though. Wait...what was that advertisement? Warhost is making 28mm metal dwarves...? Nooooooo!!!

    Close up of two of the metal archers -- I like how the greens look as if they'll blend into the woods

Anyway, I have painting these guys down to a routine, by now. Weirdly, though, I tend to do the steps in a slightly different order with each batch. Luckily, with the archers, I get to skip the "assembly" step! After cleaning up the minimal flash on these Hobday and Hicks sculpts, I primed them, did their flesh, and then lined all eight of them up on my desk. I plopped a bottle of green paint behind each one to note which color their lighter, inner tunics would be. After painting that on, I did the armor base coat. I remembered to use the craft paint Gun Metal this time instead of Iron Wind Steel. These two packs of four had fewer guys with helmets or leg greaves, so that step went faster. Then, I realized I'd forgotten to dry brush the tunics before going on to the armor. No biggie, since I would be following that up with the bright gold color for the armor, which would likely cover up any stray swipes.

    These two packs of four had considerably more bare-headed as opposed to helmet wearing Elves

After the armor and tunics were complete, they were put back on parade. I picked out which darker green shade I would do the long vests in and placed the bottle behind the figure. Typically, this takes a bit time since I want the two greens to go together well. The vests were painted, and the next day I highlighted them. I stuck the elves back on parade and picked out a border color for each one's vest. I don't stick with green here, but I am hoping for the color combinations to be more muted and less contrasting than my first batch or two. Then it was time for the dots! My go-to for making a border or item of clothing look like it has a pattern or decoration is usually dots. These can be in a row or a pattern, giving the effect of an intricate design without actually having to do it. My friend Eric is a big proponent of all things dotted. Check out his blog here, which he has begun to update more often now that he has finally retired from teaching. 

    I have been consistently happy with these Warhost sculpts -- especially the variety of poses

I pulled out the same four shades of yellow I've been using for Elven hair next. I set two figures next to each bottle, hoping to give as much variety as possible. I dry brushed them the next day -- lighter yellow for the medium blonds, white for the lightest, and dun for the darkest. Moving on, I decided this time to do all the various sheaths, quivers, and pouches at once. Since I am going with a brown or tan tone for the equipment, I hoped it might save time. I pulled out five different brownish colors, unscrewed the caps, and laid them out before me. I know some say you shouldn't do it, but I usually shake my paint and use the paint inside the caps to dip my brush into. I've heard this causes the paint to dry up more quickly, but I honestly have never noticed that in my decades of painting this way. So, I continue to do it. Once that step was done, I went back the next day and applied a quick dry brush to each color I used. 

     Not sure why, but I wasn't as happy with my photos this time -- I feel the figs looks better in person

The figs were getting close, but still had some details to do. Next, was their waist sash or belts, shoes, arrows inside the quivers, feather fletching on the arrows, and so on. Eventually, they were done. With virtually ever color applied getting its own highlighting in a lighter shade, it does take longer to paint "my way" than some who have mastered the new breed of Contrast Paints. I would be interested in trying them out some day, but probably for a specific project. I don't want to have to re-purchase all of my paints. As you've probably noticed with this Elven project, I have more than a dozen greens alone!

    Sunlight through the trees -- final look at the final batch of Elven archers

So, what's next? Of course, my 2026 rules is for it to be a batch of figures acquired last year or earlier. Luckily, they will still be for my Elven army. I have seven birds of prey sitting on my desk which I have begun work on. They came from various source -- Fantasy Familiars or other packs from different manufacturers. They're mostly metal figs, but there are some plastic or Reaper Bones ones. I'm getting some more scenery ready to go, too. This includes not only two more medieval houses (smaller homes this time), but also a 28mm 3-D printed Huey helicopter. I would like the chopper (or all four) to be ready to use in a "Hot LZ" scenario when I run my Vietnam game at Origins Game Fair this June 17-21 here in Columbus. Lots more in the works, so stay tuned!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 179
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 118

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 12
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 26

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 21
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 59