I have recently picked up both Sylvaneth and Deathrattle starter boxes from Games Workshop. Never thought I would be saying that! However they are great value for money and I am optimistic about the narrative direction the game has shifted in, but that is another story.

After cracking open the Deathrattle boxed set I noticed the Black Knights sprue only had enough horses for either 5 Black Knights or 5 Hexwraiths. Well that seemed a bit of a shame. The only thing missing was the two part horses. I searched on some GW bits sites to find that plastic horses were going for £2.50 per item! Wow, almost as expensive as buying another box of these guys!

Not to back down from a challenge I started experimenting with ways I could maximise the number of models I could get out of the sprues. It turns out the armour on the Black Knights horses wouldn't need much to make them appear like they are floating, in fact someone has done just that. However I wanted both Black Knights and Hexwraiths so I delved into the fluff. Turns out the Hexwraiths are ethereal, ghost-like and would be more suitable to be seen flying on... Nothing.

So I built the Black Knights and Hexwraiths then fitted a flight stand into the bottom of the Wraiths. I then sculpted a few extra flames on the back of the seat to soften the transition and gave him a quick paint job. For those interested, Hawk Turqoise thinned with medium over a white basecoat is a great start then just work your way up 20%/40%/60% white with Hawk Turqoise.

Finally, the mist. I played around with several ideas. Sculpting, clear resin, floss strips. They all sucked. So I went back to old faithful. Cotton wool. You just can't get that effect unless you have a micro smoke machine. Pull it and tear it into shape and you get the effect that these guys are drifting into battle on a creepy mist. OK so it's not a horse but it means you can get 10 whole mounted units out of a single box. I then hit the wool with some matt varnish spray and it's pretty tough, no longer shifts out of shape. Glued the guy to the top of the stand and job is a good one.

Hope this helps a few of us "poorhammer" players out and saves you a few pounds.

** Update - Finished off the Boys!

Finally got through some of my queue and finished them off for the wife.

Cheap as Chips Hexwraiths