Path to Glory 2020: The Noctis Elite - The Encroaching Darkness

So then Month 2 is done and I'll be honest it's been a slow one. The general melancholy that suffuses the air this time of year, combined with a bit of waning interest in Age of Sigmar within the group has meant that all of us didn't get too much done this month. I've forged on with the Bonereapers however and do have something to add, though not quite as much as I'd like. So what's been added to the legion?

Why more Mortek Guard of course!

The next 10 Mortek Guard

Given they're the back bone of my army (and really all Ossiarch armies unless you're horse crazy) I wanted to get these guys finished and done early on into the project, so adding another 10 seemed like a good idea. As well it gives me more opportunities to practice and refine my paint scheme, making sure I've worked everything out before heading onto the bigger and more elaborate models like the Liege Kavalos and Gothizzar Harvester. With that said here's the next 10 additions to the squad!

With these 10 now finished that means I've completed my full squad of 20, huzzah! I've got a shot of them all together and I must say I'm really happy with the end result. I was a bit worried the colour palette I'd selected would be a bit subdued overall; However the end result I think works well, with the greens and blues standing out and adding in shots of colour. 

My first completed squad for the Noctis Elite

You may also notice I've changed up my basing scheme from the last update. Funnily enough black models on a dark grey base doesn't look so good. I wanted the grey base as it meant the squad would be similarly based to my other Death army, the Nighthaunt. However seeing the models lined up together really just highlighted how badly the basing scheme worked so I decided a change was in order. I elected to go back to the old classic deep brown, adding a few more rocks and tufts and I think the end result works much better. It helps to make the model on top stand out and moving forward I'll be keeping to this scheme.

After the Mortek Guard were completed I moved onto something I'd been dreading, the Bone Tithe Nexus. Terrain pieces I find are rarely enjoyable to paint, largely involving lots of repeating sections tied together by, if you're lucky, one or two unique details. The Bone Tithe Nexus very much lives up to this, being endless sections of stone slabs and pillars, with bones and skeletons dotted all over. I was really not looking forward to painting it but getting it done early means it's out of the way. I've been slowly chugging away at the model and so far I've completed the secondary columns, all the scatter pieces and the bones all over the base of the model. 

Of course being awkward I've decided to paint the model black to further tie into my army, meaning I now have to go over and paint in all the stone on the base.

The central base for the Bone Tithe Nexus with all scatter detail complete

The four secondary towers. I elected to go for some glowing green runes that I really like. The crystals are all painted the same as my armies Nadirite weapons to simulate them being made of the same materiel

The odd bits of scatter terrain for the central base. These were a chore

So that's it for month 2. As I mentioned it's been a slow one for all of us due to lack of motivation. But fortunately GW is on hand to make sure we all complete this little project. This week tickets went up for an Age of Sigmar doubles weekend at WHW and it was the perfect way to cap off our project. With the event booked my drive to get the army finished to a high standard is back and I'm ready to power though Month 3. I'm planning on finishing the Bone Tithe Nexus this week and them I'll be moving onto the Kavalos Deathriders, some lovely models to finish rounding out my battleline choices and get some more fast moving harassment onto the table. 

So look out for that post at the end of the month. If you're interested in keeping up with anything else I'm painting feel free to check out my Instagram @hobbyguyjames. With that I'll sign out and get back to the painting desk!

Until next time,

James