Scott Goldstein has been playing Warhammer for about five years but has been a collector and painter of miniatures for nearly twenty-two years. In that time he has amassed five armies, the latest of which you are feasting your eyes upon now.

Scott Goldstein's Dark Elf Army. Click to enlarge.

He attends tournaments whenever he can, even travelling all the way from North America to the UK if the opportunity arises. At one of these events, the 2001 Seattle Grand Tournament, Scott first saw the Corsair Champion and the Witch Elf models by Chris Fitzpatrick and was hooked.

So, he set about collecting and painting his new Druchii force. The army has so far had great success; at the 2003 Seattle Grand Tournament it took the awards for Best Painted Army and Players' Choice, as well as coming 3rd place for Best Army at this year's UK Grand Tournament final.

The Harbingers of Despair, Scott's Dark Riders. Click to enlarge.	Aitor Saldirmek leads his unit of Cold One Knights to war. Click to enlarge.

At first glance, some of the models may look unfamiliar, part of the reason for this is Scott's preference for metal figures over plastic. This requires him to delve into the Citadel archives to find suitable models to fulfil the requirements of his army. The Cold One Knights and their leader, the High Born Noble Aitor Saldirmek (the army's General), have all been mounted on metal Cold Ones. For the Dark Riders, Scott has gone back even further and used the classic Elven Cavalry models, remodelling them with repeater crossbows and spears. The Harpies he has used are the latest Daemonettes of Slaanesh converted with Fell Bat wings. The story behind these is that they were once Witch Elves that had been lured away from Khaine by Slaanesh.

The Tainted Ones. To represent that they had been lured away from the service of Khaine by Slaanesh,
Scott converted Daemonettes with wings to represent his Harpies. Click to enlarge.

The remainder of the army is made up of models from the current Dark Elf range: Shades, Witches, Corsairs and the Reaper Bolt Thrower 'Inescapable Destiny'. The last model, Scott's only war machine, was named because he didn't want to have the usual complement of bolt throwers that accompany most Dark Elf armies. After a few games he found that not having it was a hindrance so it was re-introduced, now Scott can happily riddle enemy armies with lethal bolt fire.

The Talons of Fear, Scott's Corsair unit. Click to enlarge.	The Brides of Khaine, savage Witch Elves. Click to enlarge.

When it came to painting the Dark Elves, Scott opted for the classic black and purple colour combination that has proved so popular for the Druchii. He also has a fondness for checked patterns, a common occurrence in some of his previous armies, which he modified into a diamond design for the Dark Elves (take particular note of the legging of the Shades).

Silent Steel, deadly Dark Elf Shades. Click to enlarge.

Scott was also inspired by a motorcycle magazine to paint skulls on the shields, cloaks and banners of the various units in the army. He has taken great care to paint the gruesome faces into the surface they are on, instead of just overlaying them like a transfer. A great example of this is the Corsair banner where the skull sits in place of the moon with its reflection visible in the ocean below. Unlike the usual pale skin possessed by most Dark Elves, these Druchii have an ashen complexion and if you look closely you can see that the eyes are a sickly amber colour, befitting their treacherous nature.

Scott's Dark Elf Standard Bearers. Click to enlarge.

Hopefully Scott will continue to be a regular at tournaments, putting his amazing armies up against the best painters and players on the day.

Next: Scott's Cult of Slaanesh