The Five Hundred Points Challenge

 

 

Welcome to our Five Hundred Points Challenge!

After some great conversations with friends and among ourselves, we've decided to get a bit more serious about Warhammer Fantasy this year. (Just to be clear, I'm not talking about myself in the third person and using the plural. Most likely, other people will appear on this blog, but I'll leave their introductions up to them.)

We've never actually played it, and that feels a little wrong. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon an old article by Jervis Johnson in an old White Dwarf magazine, where he discussed the advantages of smaller Warhammer battles. He mentioned that while the standard battle size is usually 2,000–3,000 points (I think that was during 7th or 8th edition), he found 500-point engagements to be very feasible and that the system allows for some great games even at that size.

This got me thinking. What has kept us from playing Warhammer Fantasy the most so far? Probably the sheer number of models required, the seemingly very complicated rules, and games that would likely take an entire Saturday instead of being playable in an evening. The article gave me some courage, and after a bit of back-and-forth, we've now decided to paint up 500 points of our favorite armies and just try the system out. If it doesn't work out, at least a part of our collection will be painted, and we can play something like One Page Rules.

Last year, I already started a Warhammer army: the Elven Kingdom of Cothique. I had played it extensively (and very successfully, I might add) in Total War: Warhammer 3 through a mod, so my decision was pretty easy. I already have one unit of Lothern Sea Guard finished, but I thought I could just paint my Island of Blood box. If I leave out the Prince on the Griffon, I'll hit exactly 500 points.

Here’s a picture of my first unit from last year:

For the second unit, I based my work on the heraldry of Cothique and chose the shield design with the seagull. I also painted a first test model last year, but I never got around to painting more:

But that's changing now. Here are a few snapshots of the whole lot, a proud 500 points!

 

Any careful observer will probably notice that these aren't entirely the original figures from the Island of Blood box. The Swordmasters of Hoeth are partly from the new The Old World box, as I find the banner and the new pose of the captain really cool. The only problem was that the new minis are designed for larger bases, and the banner doesn't fit easily next to a Swordmaster when you use 20mm bases (as you should; I find the new aesthetic of The Old World terrible).

So, I had to bend the tips back a bit—not ideal, but the wind can blow in some very unusual ways, especially in the world of Warhammer.

The captain of the Lothern Sea Guard is basically the same model as in the Swordmaster unit, but I've given him a spear here. I hope that's not too bothersome, but I found the conversion too cool not to include. The shields and banner here have already been completely cleared of their original heraldry so I can implement my seagull theme.

The other models, however, are original—the Ellyrian Reavers and the mage.

 We'll see how quickly these figures get finished. Originally, we said five months for 500 points, but I hope it'll be faster. However, since we're currently in the middle of buying a house and preparing for a renovation and move, it might actually take until Christmas. Stay tuned!

 
It's also very possible that some other models might show up in between. After all, I still have to paint Haldir, plus I just 3D-printed a whole Amon Hen model. And I have tons of Legions Imperialis models to paint too!

The hobby is just always a bit wild.

 

All the best

Lucas  

Three more Lorien elves

It took me a little while, but finally the last three Lorien elves are finished. Well, one of them is a captain, as I did not have enough archers... But he will do just fine within the others. 

Now there is only Haldir missing from the force, and then everything is ready for our Lothlorien game! 

I had a very hard time painting the faces. They were challenging before, but these ones were some of the worst casts I have ever painted. 

But hey, now they are done and I am quite happy with the results. Hope you like them as well!

We watched The Fellowship of the Ring again this weekend, so I had some motivation to finish them. 
 

And here's a picture of all the Lorien elves I have painted so far! Maybe I will do some more, would be great to have a small force for 400-500 point games... But I guess this will not happen anytime soon :D 

All the best

Lucas 

 

Originally created on July 29, 2025

Arwen and Frodo

Here's another beautiful figure (or two, or even three!): Mounted Arwen with Frodo, and Arwen on foot.

I've wanted these figures ever since I first saw them in an old White Dwarf magazine. What a great idea, even if the accompanying scenario, in my opinion, is quite poorly written.

I have to admit that to paint the mounted figure, I had to open an old green blister pack from 2002... I briefly inhaled the air of a different era, and then I got started. The foot model is from a different set, as I much prefer this variant.

 

I seem to recall that Liv Tyler pushed for quite a few changes to the initial figures because she didn't like them. Unimaginable nowadays! I highly doubt actors today would even get to see all the figures. But perhaps it was very important to Liv back then, being such a fresh face in cinema.

I hope you like the miniatures! They're a few months old now, and I'd do a few things differently today, but yeah... It's good enough for the table! 

All the best

Lucas 

 

 Originally created on July 12, 2025

Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome!

For a long time now, I've wanted to set up a small blog to document my private hobby projects. If anyone happens to stumble across it, I'd certainly appreciate a comment.

Don't be surprised that the first posts all have the same date... I had previously created an identical blog, but there were several problems with Google and it couldn't be found on the internet. You can find the original date at the end of each post. 

You'll find wild swings between all sorts of topics and game systems here, as I feel pretty much like the rest of 90% of the wargaming community in that regard!

My main focus, however, will definitely be on Games Workshop's The Lord of the Rings. I've accumulated a huge collection of figures over time, and I plan to paint them all in the coming years. This will not only give me more material for games but also fill my display cabinet and simply bring me joy.

For me, The Lord of the Rings remains the most beautiful and best system ever released. Perhaps not the absolute best in terms of rules—I'd probably lean towards Star Wars Armada for that—but the overall package is simply perfect. And as a fanatical fan of the films, books, making-ofs, and everything in between, I honestly never had another choice.

To kick things off today, I'm starting small with a few Wood Elves. We're currently playing through the Quest of the Ringbearer campaign, and I need six Wood Elves and Haldir for the game after next. These models are a lot of fun, even if their age is quite apparent, especially in their size. It's always fascinating to see how the range has evolved and that so many different sculptors were at work in the early days. Personally, I find the early period of the range, from 2002 until The Hobbit, to be the best. Everything that came after, in my opinion, is forgettable, but that might be a topic for another time.

Here are the Wood Elves, in their classic color scheme! I hope you like them :)

All the best

Lucas 

 

Originally created on July 12, 2025