SPACE DWARVES (My Votann in 40K)

Where We Are

I’ve owned some Votann since August 2023 and picked up the majority of the models I have that year. I think I purchased the 2023 christmas battleforce and two combat patrols with an extra unit of Hearthkyn Warriors , a land fort, and Brokhyr Thunderkyn. At current point values I am basically building a 2000 point list.

These models have been through a lot and won’t likely ever look “great” but good enough works

This army was started in two stages, both around the Grand Narrative events held in Atlanta. In 2023 I put together a unit of the Hearthkyn Warriors, the Thunderkyn, and a set of Pioneers and did some very poor basing in an attempt to make some city streets. I still like the city street idea, as opposed to the rubble that you typically see in an urban setting. Unfortunately many of the GW models include a “tactical rock” that I just don’t know what to do to avoid. I had thought I would do a silver, pink, and black Bret Hart inspired army but I wasn’t ever able to get the colors to work or find a pink that spoke to me.

My second attempt at a base is smoother and has some of the gaps you see with concrete.

In 2024 I started painting up my Grimnyr for a week after the event. I used multiple attempts to get the colors on the robe and really liked the way the face at the bottom came out. The rune work on the right shoulder pauldron must have been redone five or six times before I settled on painting the orange outline, then putting a layer of red on the runes. After this, I used a wet brush to wipe the areas of the runs and then took black templar contract thinned down with flow improver. I painted over with some gold on the raised portion of the runes and was very happy with how it came out. The best part of the this process is that it is repeatable for me other models.

This model is both my first test model and the best model I’ve ever painted.

I love the color orange and think it works with the sky blue incredibly well. I tried to use a darker blue for the drones but I don’t like the way it looks and settled on a lighter sky blue for my other hero. As you can see in the photo above he didn’t come out as well as my Grimnyr and that’s ok. Sometimes a model is finished and you can go back to it later, or you find that once you have a complete list you need another one. A local store of mine has at least a dozen copies of the commemorative edition model that I’m excited to buy and paint after getting through the 2000 points I currently have.

I still don’t have any models finished but I”m getting closer with some of the units. There are a few that need to be put together and some that need to be magnetized. What I do have is a combination of the best painted models I have ever done and a plain to learn and execute a number of specific technics that I hope to share. I feel very similar to when I started painting my Age of Sigmar Kruleboyz army and I think that the Votann and Kruleboyz releases have some similarities from the hobby perspective. With my Kruleboyz I was able to explore and develop leather, swamp basing, and created a few very striking models that I still enjoy to this day.

What Are We Doing

Even if nobody reads this I’m excited to impose some accountability by setting up some goals and principals for this army. For the 1/5 of the army that I had assembled and started painting I’m going to be generous to myself and not redo or destroy what I’ve already done even if I really wish I had correctly glued that arm on the biker. For my other models I’m going to do everything possible to make them the best models I can. First, I’m not putting the heads on the models until I paint them. I currently have 20 heads for my warriors and hearthguard sitting waiting to be painted and even with this being my first attempt I’m incredibly excited with how the first five have come out. I need to redo some of the work around the eyes and face but there are some details that just look great for a first attempt. Second, I’m going to use my earlier models to experiment with Object Source Lighting (OSL) so even if the overall model doesn’t look great, or has a horrible base, they will be striking from 3 feet away. For the models that I’ve started in the past few weeks I’m hoping this really elevates them when combined with my face painting. Third, I’m working on using glazing, armor chipping, and successive layers to build up the look of these models. This is less of a specific choice and more of a promise I’m making that I won’t be attempting to paint any of these quickly. Fourth, I want to magnetize and convert this army as needed. I still haven’t constructed a unit of warrior and pioneers and have some ideals on what to use and have a healthy sprue pile.

This is likely to be a beast to paint. Good thing I have a second to try again.

Finally, I really enjoyed playing against a well painted Blood Angels army at the Grand Narrative event and was blown away by how he painted the panels and want to do something similar for myself.

I never could have gotten some of these angles if I put them on the model first.

Some of the techniques that I’m not going to attempt are non-metallic metal or any advanced weathering or wet blending. My goals is to have relatively clean looking models that represent my space dwarves for this first round to get to 2000 points. I’m expecting a release of more Votann later this year and would like to have a force ready with a practiced and specific style ready to go.

Why Am I Doing This

I really enjoyed the Grand Narrative event and playing some games of 40K last year. Given that I don’t know how to play 40K AT ALL I was able to fake my way though several of the missions and picked Chaos Daemons as my subfaction. They are the most AOS-like army that I have to paint. While I liked playing the Chaos Daemons they are an older model range with A LOT of choices that I don’t want to engage in and some really awkward sculpts.

The other answer is I like to build up armies, give them a narrative story, and play around with them. Given how I’ve structured my life I’m not going to get the number of games I need in to be a good competitive player but I have a ton of hobby time over the next few years. I really don’t have any desire to build out more Gloomspite Gitz or Ork models and my two attempts at another AOS army, Cities of Sigmar and Idoneth Deepkin, haven’t worked out.

Votann, however, really do hit a sweet spot as a newer army without too much crap going on. I like that they have the general “shape” of space marines with a few touches that make them different and that the range is limited. My purchases give me a sample of basically every model in the range (except for 2) and it is a bigger job to resist buying more stuff until I finish painting what I have. In fact, after the Grand Narrative event I sat down and painted my Grimnyr to the point that it is my best looking model already. With the Sky Blue and Orange base colors I’m ready to do the blocking and tackling.

What is my Army Going To Be

With no major events coming up painting my Votann is going to be the most significant hobby project I am currently conducting and I’m hoping to have a post on each unit as I progress. Right now I’m putting a ton of effort into my blue Hearthguard and since they are very WIP they would likely be a big post.

One idea I really like is converting some of them to Deathguard/Nurgle and putting a display board together showing the invasion of a cloning pod by Nurgle. Obviously since Kin are Kin anything that the AI would clone and pump out would be accepted by the other Kin and this leads to some really interesting potential conversions on both sides and the ability to run multiple armies. I’m going to have to look at the sprue pile to see what I have. I had hoped to have more finished or at least done a painting stream but it is very cold and I have a sick family so for right now you get what you get and you don’t get upset.