'Oldhammer' - Albino Skink Champion

This 28mm “Citadel” model of a Skink Champion has taken an awful long time to complete, and despite the Challenge now being well into its second month is actually my first ‘Oldhammer’ submission for “A Tale of Several Gamers”. In addition, although I’ve put an awful lot of time and effort into painting the albino Lizardman, I am not terribly happy with the way his pallid skin colour has finally turned out. Rather than being known as ‘Gluckle The Greedy’, destined for greatness, I fear a more appropriate title would be ‘Gluckle The Grey’.

The model was first undercoated with “Vallejo” White before I started to work my way through the numerous bronze and red cloth bands which adorn his legs and arms. For the metal work I used a combination of Brass and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. Whilst for the red I went with “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson. The skink’s curved sword, snout horn and spear tips were also painted with “Vallejo” Brass. As the Champion wore a small chainmail loincloth I treated that to a coat of “Citadel” Boltgun metal and then a wash of Nuln Oil. The leather work was ‘picked out’ with either “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna or Heavy brown. Both of which were then washed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly I picked out his eyes with a tiny dab of “Vallejo" Heavy Ochre. I did consider giving the Lizardman red eyes as per many of the painted models in the 1996 “Games Workshop” edition of the “Warhammer Armies Lizardmen” supplement. But I thought the model had too much red on it already.

The Mark of The Old Ones, otherwise known as white skin, was created by applying a watered down “Citadel” Nuln Oil wash over the “Vallejo” White undercoat and then drybrushing more White over the top. I thought this worked well for the smaller areas of bare flesh as the wash simply pooled in the recesses and left everywhere else stark white. 

However when I came to apply this technique to the largest area, the head, left shoulder, chest and head fin, it simply turned the undercoat a murky grey, and no amount of repainting or drybrushing would bring back the white as it had done on the other areas. 

Having based the model though I have managed to ‘park’ my disappointment and begin painting the rest of my Skink warband with earnest. Most of the bronze work is now done, as is the leatherwork, and I’m currently ‘picking out’ all the pouches which adorn their hips.

In addition I have managed to completely assemble the Cold One Rider and make a little progress on his base and skink rider. This particular model will definitely be finished by the end of the month as it is to be my Mount(s) & Rider(s) Theme submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.