Iyanden joins the fray...

o/

Sorry for the lousy photo, but we're currently experiencing 'technical difficulties' at home, and I only had time for a quick iPhone pic. :-/

A few weeks back I purchased this Wraithlord on ebay for a mere $10, shipping included! Nicely painted and converted, I can only assume its abysmally low price (it was a 'buy it now' type auction) was due to being an old metal model. Yeah whatever, it looks pretty damned good to me! Especially the custom base where its standing on a space marine dreadnought's front carapace (also made of metal) and holding one of said dreadnought's CCWs in one hand!

Whilst I was going to paint my Harlequins to match it (initially), I decided against that as they really ought to be a rainbow of colors. That, and due to their continual failure to really accomplish ANYTHING on the table top, they're rather low on my painting priority list. So once more perusing ebay I won another surprisingly cheap auction (the regular bidding type this time) of 14 Dire Avengers. Going along with 'teh interwebz' apparent dislike of metal minis, I got them for a mere $20 (most of which was shipping costs from Canada)!

What do 5 new plastic ones cost, $30-something? ($35, I just checked) 'New' is a relative term as they are compared to these models, though they were 10 for the same approximate price before being repackaged into a 'new' thinner box…

Several of the models are actually Guardians and not Dire Avengers, but no matter as the high crested helms easily fit the Avenger aesthetic. One will be used as an Iyanden Autarch, three will join my Eldar Corsairs to serve as my Corsair Prince's Bladesworn (more on them in a future post), and the remaining 10 will serve as Iyanden Dire Avengers.

As you can see, I've already painted two. The female 'Guardian-turned-Dire Avenger' will serve as the squad's Exarch. She doesn't have any weaponry other than the standard Avenger Shuriken cat (btw she can't have that pistol, not that it really serves any useful purpose). Dire Avengers (counter attack aside) really aren't kitted out for close combat anyhow, kinda like a SM Tac. squad. That said, she will have the 'Disarming Strike' Exarch power as it seems like an oh-so-appropriate 'the Eldar say: Fuck You Mon'keigh' type of maneuver.

Basically Disarming Strike works like this: in a challenge, prior to blows being struck, the Exarch and her opponent each roll a D6 (the Exarch adding a +1 if her WS is higher than her opponent's) and if the Exarch's total is higher, she turns one of the enemy's weapons into a CCW for that turn. True, she can still be killed by a CCW, but a SM Sgt. getting his powerfist 'switched off' for a turn is certainly an amusing prospect!

lol, anyways, ll told my little Iyanden contingent clocks in at 380 points, and cost a mere $30, which as stated above is the less than a box of 5 plastic Dire Avengers. They also give my Eldar army its first and only Heavy Support choice, they bring my troops alloment up to 6(!) units, and the army itself up to 1500 points w/o the need to ally with the Eldar Corsairs. I plan to give them their battlefield debut this weekend where they will no doubt die horribly as new models so often do...