Twilight Kin and XIrkaali are my goals for completion in 2026.
I like the mutant models, but I wouldn’t be taking more than one typically. So a single mutant unit amongst all the corsairs feels slightly out of place? So I wondered if I could give the corsairs guns. the mutants have the same stats as elves, so it isn’t a glaring weirdness there.
I also bought a bunch of Incubi glaives because the bits seller had some available and they’re my favourite melee weapons in basically anything. Not 100% sure what I will do with them, but they were too cool to pass up on. Possibly the melee version of the mutants, as they’re Meleee 3, Elite, and Thunderous Charge 2, so that would fit I think.
The Dark Elder parts work really well and the guns suit their bow-legged stance. I always thought htye should be on surfboards.
The Xirkaali look stunning and it’s nice to see the sculpts before paint. The Matriach is my favorite Mantic Sculpt to date and I may copy adding a shield to her free hand.
So, I started to paint the plainstalkers and realised… I don’t really like them. Xorxoi is the best model Mantic has ever made. The plainstalkers have radically changed the design and it’s a poor decision in my opinion. Xorxoi has a more upright head, armour, and isn’t covered in bones. He feels like part of the Xirkaali. The plainstalkers and wildfangs don’t. So I’m changing the posture, raising the head, sculpting new necks, adding armour from the warriors, and weapons too.
I bought the Xirkaali starter but haven’t worked on any of it. Fireforge have Samurai and WA has warring states in the works, plus I see a lot of opportunities for including fantastical creatures and troops from the near east and Indian subcontinent. I imagine the Xirkaali landing on western shores with a menagerie of auxiliary and mercenary troops at their disposal that they scooped up along the way.
Yeah, had a similar idea for when I get round to doing a xirkaali force, including some of the Sorcerer Kings Conquest models and using one of the D&L dragons as an alternate/2nd Gokluu.
