Another AoS book release means more new models. Today we’ll be taking a look at the new heroes for both Tzeentch and Lumineth. Do they suck to build? Are they weird to paint? Did Norman survive having to paint an elf? Read more to find out!

As always we’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing us with a review copy of these models.

Lumineth Vanari Lord Regent/Auralan Warden

Norman: I’m gonna be real with you guys, elves are not usually my bag. I’m not a huge fan of clean surfaces and their audacious aesthetic. That said no one else in the US from our team had the bandwidth to take this guy on so I snagged him to try something different.

The Build

This guy is a bit of a weird one to put together. On one hand it’s really impressive that they got two pretty drastically different poses out of just one model. On the other, the dude's pretty spindly and some of these connection points are bizarre. For example, what the hell is this:

That cape to pauldron assembly caused me a particularly large amount of grief and I don’t think I actually was able to connect the shield to the scenic portion of the base properly. I really don’t like that arm assembly either, without the main body to support it the arms were drooping a lot and I had to spend a good amount of time just holding them in place.

For the model itself, it’s a great sculpt with lots of great details. You also get a good amount of extra bits from the alt build to play around with and both heads work for both options. It’s also pretty sturdy once it's all together; I worry about that sword way up in the air or the banners on the alternative build, but what else is new with elves.

Painting

I went with an attempt at the box art scheme for this one. I base coated the model with Citadel’s Ushapti Bone, hit the recesses with Citadel Skeleton Horde thinned down and then hit the highlights with Wraithbone. For the cloak I just used Thousand Sons blue and mixed with white-grey for my highlights. The gold started at a dark brown to establish an undertone and then I layered gold on top of that.

Credit: Mildnorman

Besides that it's a pretty straight forward model. You have some really thin and intricate trim around the armor pieces but what else is new there. The cape is a little weird to paint because its two capes layered on top of each other, but I didn’t subassemble it and it was mostly fine to paint.

Tzeentch Fatemaster

Ryan: Going to be honest, I don’t even know if this kit came with instructions (it probably did). I promptly clipped this goober out of the sprue and was able to put him together in a matter of minutes. For a skinny dude, GW did a great job making every piece slot and fit together easily and nicely. I definitely have a record of not having the most patience when building frustrating models. The 40k Scout Squad made me question every decision I've ever made, so having this fella be such a piece of cake was a nice treat.

Something to note, some angles from the release photos make the bird look like part of the shoulder armor. It's a bit of a perspective illusion, as other angles show that it is more perched on the shoulder of the Fatemaster (or maybe the bird is the Fatemaster and the guy is just their unnamed companion?).

Painting

I'm a freak and will just mix around colors for the most part until I get the colors I want correct, so my process will not be a streamlined as Norman's unfortunately, but I'll try my best. I didn't go for the box scheme, as I have way too many blue armies and models already, so I decided to go with a jade/emerald type green. I didn't want to make the primary color for the armor be pink or purple, as it might come out looking too Slaanesh-like, and emerald is far enough from Nurgle that I felt good at still making him fit the Tzeentch vibe. I started with a darker green, and built up into an oxidized looking jade color, then highlighting with a mix of green and teal. The inside of the cloak and the collar are layers of grey working up to an off-white, and the outside is a black, built up to highlights of white.

Credit - bre4d_

The trim is mostly a black-washed gold color, with the blade of the weapon being dry brushed dark blue into a blue-grey/white. For the bird, his head is the same type of gold, with the feathers being mostly dry brushed blue-grey, with more blue than grey. The shaft of the weapon and his belt buckle eyeball thing are pink-hued, washed in blacked but highlighted with pale greys. His bone horns are Zandri Dust built up into Ushabti Bone, and his skin is the ye-olde classic of Bugman's Glow into Cadian Fleshtone.

The blue part of the base is dark blue built into light blue using an airbrush, and after coating what I want to be 'wet' in clear epoxy resein putting in silicon packet balls and greenstuff orbs, highlighting the orbs with white. I did the little bit of OSL by dry brushing dark and light blues in an attempt to give a glowing effect coming from the base.

Credit - bre4d_

Much like the Lumineth dude above, the trim is intricate and very small, but important to cover when painting the model. A big particular challenge for me was the edge of the collar of the cloak, as there is nothing more than a line to separate the lining and the interior of it. I would attribute that to more of a skill issue, but definitely worth a note.

All in all, the model presents a great silhouette, and is a surprisingly easy build. I'm excited to see some more nifty and skilled painters take a stab at this guy and his bird pal.

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Tags: Tzeentch | age of Sigmar | Disciples of Tzeentch | lumineth | model review