Finished - Bloodcrushers

When we last left these Blood Crushers, it was October 1st last year. I had started them on September 24th. I did what I do with minis sometimes. I take a big bite of a project, get really excited, paint furiously, get overwhelmed and then walk away with minis in a not-usable state. I move on to pother projects that are easier, shorter or more interesting. It is a habit.

To counteract it, I tend to take on smaller projects. The best are groups of 3-5 small minis or one large at a time. When I try to paint several large minis, I'll get disheartened and set the minis aside. Sometimes my desk is so cluttered with half-painted minis that I don't have room to paint more. I get through it by gritting my teeth and telling myself to FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED! I refuse to let myself start new projects until I clear my table. This is why you will see a burst of "Finished" posts in a row. 

Back to the Bloodcrushers!

Last time, I expressed my frustration at how bright red they turned out. I intended to have the final highlight be Evil Sunz Scarlet but because I could not match the tone of ESS drybrushed over Mechrite Red, I had to paint it brighter. They turned out ok.

I painted the riders just like the other Bloodletters. I spent a little more time on them and tried to make the shadows darker. To this end, I used some Leviathan Purple wash on the bodies and went lighter on the orange highlights. 

There was some awkward positioning when reattaching the Bloodletters to the backs of their steeds. Because they were second hand, I had to disassemble them to paint. When I put them back together there were some anomalies. One of the Bloodletters is barely attached at all when I really wanted his feet resting on the metal pistons.

I wanna rant a little about what GW did to the rules for these minis. In 6th Edition, Bloodcrushers were beastly. Iron Hide gave them a 3+ save. They were Strength and Toughness 5. You could give one Rending. 

Now, in 7th Edition, they have no armor save, are Toughness 4, Leadership 7 and 5 points MORE. Yes they did get an extra wound but the rules change do not make sense. Compared to Thunderwolf Calvary they do not stack up. Put any other mini on a mount, and they get a bump in Toughness but not Bloodletters. Granted the 3+ armor was insane and made them steamrollers on the table but to remove it entirely AND to lower their Toughness is insane. They are neutered compared to what they were and barely worth taking. Bolter fire can just mow them down. 

I liked how they turned out. No real specific complaints or things I liked. I am just really glad they are done. 

The kit retails for $91 which is also bonkers for three cavalry models. Thunderwolves are only $54 which seems less crazy. To replace them would cost about $180 considering how long they took to paint. I would trade them for about that but given how awful the rules are, I don't think that anyone would trade for them.