Just Completed: Dark Eldar Wracks

Hey there Chaos fiends, er, friends. We're back with another posting- this time I've decided to show off my latest painting project: a squad of Wracks and a Haemonculus to back them up.

Since the Dark Eldar codex has come out, GW has been putting out new models for the entire range at regular intervals. I think this is a great approach, as it keeps people (like me) excited for the latest release, and it keeps the army fresh. Others have complained that it all should have been out at once- but I like this strategy of releasing every few months. Most of the models (excepting the boring Grotesques) have been well worth the wait (the Talos and Scourges are incredible models).

A few months ago, GW put out the Wracks and Haemonculus. Now, I've been interested in the Wracks since day one- the artwork reminded me (in a good way) of something from Silent Hill or such horror movies/games. As for the rules, they may be a bit slower, but they have 2 poisoned cc weapons, toughness 4, and they start with a Pain Token. I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. As for the Haemonculus, I'd been using my Urien model to stand in- but I really wanted to expand my Haemonculi choices a bit.




So, I bought them, along with a 5 pack of Mandrakes (my big summer purchase). First things first- my analysis of Finecast. This was my first modelling work with Finecast.Now, there's been a ton of controversy here- people saying its the best GW product ever to comments like "Fine-Crap" and even some outlandish stories of Finecast melting in the sunlight (Well, that didn't happen to mine, and my desk gets plenty of sunlight). The truth, like most things, lies somewhere in between the extremes.




The Haemonculus himself went together 1...2...3. It went so fast, with so little effort. The metal Urien drive me up the wall. The FC Haemonculus was a breeze to put together. Now, the Wracks. These models are gorgeous, no doubt about it. There was some flash and bits to be trimmed, though not a big deal- the worst part was the mold/flash on the base portion, meaning you had to trim very closely to fit it into the slotter base. The FC is quite delicate- a whip broke and one of the blades on their hands did. But, these were VERY easily repaired (the whip should NOT have been broken, and the blade was my mistake). All 10 Wracks went together quick, much easier than the metal, and better looking, I might add. The Mandrakes were a different matter. I'll go into them in a different article- lets just say if the quality of the FC was say 8/10 on the others, they were 4/10. Very poor quality indeed- pieces broken, warped SO badly, etc. I hope that GW can fix this- as it is FC has great promise, but the Mandrakes will make me cautious about buying FC for the moment.

So, now that the Wracks were completed, I began paint them with vigor. I decided to tie the Wracks and the Talos together by using the same flesh color scheme- Hormagaunt Purple, with Bleached Bone overlay, then a purple wash into the recesses. I also used black and gold for their helms, just like the Talos. I tied the Wracks into my whole DE army by having their cloaks black with Red Gore highlighting. I added suitable blood onto the weapons, and viola, the Wracks were done. I must say I'm quite happy with the results.

With the Haemonculus, I had the same Black/Red Gore for his cloak and armor. His flesh was similar, but with both Dwarf and Elf flesh instead of Bleached Bone. His "medical apron" I painted white (a stark contrast) but put on a ton of blood-stains. I think the Wracks came out a bit better paint-wise, but he still looks good, though my paint-job of Urien is still excellent.






Hope you've enjoyed the article and the pics. Until next time... smoke 'em if you've got 'em...