On my quest to paint a playable Nighthaunt Spearhead this year, I could cross another unit off the list: here come my Grimghast Reapers, 10 in number. Several years ago I painted the first half, and now five more models join my spectral hosts. This presented me with some challenges. Which ones, you’ll find out in this post.
Updating my 2020 Grimghast Reapers
In 2020 I painted the first five models of this unit, but since then my Nighthaunt colour scheme has subtly evolved. You can find the original showcase post here.
Accordingly, I had to rework the older models. I repainted the scythes with an improved rust effect and blue-grey shafts. I also came up with a new effect for the eye bindings: I painted them like light linen soaked with blood. Here’s the recipe.
How to paint bloody bandages tutorial
- Basecoat: Two Thin Coats Vampire Fang
- Shade with thinned Skeleton Horde Contrast paint
- Layer/clean up with TTC Vampire Fang
- Highlight: TTC Vampire Fang / Pro Acryl Ivory mix
- Edge highlight: PA Ivory
- For the blood effect, I carefully masked off the face with masking putty, then applied a little bit of AK 3rd Gen Black Red with a sponge (like sponge weathering). After that, I repeated the process but with thinned AK 3rd Gen Burnt Red. Try not to overdo it!
- Highlight the edges of the bandages once more with thinned PA Ivory
The further painting steps for my purple-grey Nighthaunt can be found in this free tutorial:
Soul Wars vs multi-part Grimghast Reapers
My unit consists of a mix of models from the Soul Wars launch box of 2nd edition Warhammer Age of Sigmar, as well as the multi-part version of the Grimghast Reapers from the unit box. Though some share similar poses, this makes each model unique.
The original five models
The colour matching challenge
I naturally wanted to paint the five new models as accurately as possible to match my old Grimghast Reapers. Unfortunately, a small mishap occurred. I remembered that I’d used a different purple tone for the zenithal basecoating on my first Nighthaunt models. I looked in my records, but somehow an error must have crept in. In direct comparison to the old models, the new five Reapers have a minimally more reddish purple in the shading.
The five models I painted recently
At arm’s length it’s not particularly noticeable, but in photos it certainly is. Well, shit happens. In retrospect, it might even have been more interesting to mix several purples to create a bit more variety. But when only five models in a collection look different, it naturally appears rather unintentional.
I decided not to change the faux pas, as otherwise I would have had to repaint all the models. At least I could cross another unit off the list. After recently painting 10 Chainrasps (see the showcase post here), now only 10 more Chainrasps are needed and the Spearhead is complete (see the showcase post here). I should be able to manage that this year!
Feel free to leave a reaction, or drop a comment below, I’m also happy to answer any questions on our friendly hobby Discord server. Thanks a lot, and happy hobbying!
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