We Have Such Sights To Show You: Urien Rakarth

Urien Rakarth is a special character for the Dark Eldar. Even by Dark Eldar standards, he is unpleasant, being the head torturer and mad scientist in a cabal of torturers and mad scientists. He is one of the very few people in the world of Warhammer 40,000 who is actually smiling, and in the grim darkness of the far future, anyone who doesn't look miserable and angry is very bad news indeed.

The current incarnation of Urien is an odd, multi-limbed, hovering monstrosity, equipped with a sort of tattered lab coat, a lot of syringes and rather sinister dangling little feet. However, I prefer the old metal model, from the first incarnation of Dark Eldar models.

In truth, many of the original metal miniatures were passable at best. I like the metal grotesques/wracks, and the haemonculi were suitably bizarre, but the berserker and soldier aspects of the army were pretty poor. However, Urien (I keep mistyping that as Urine) has stood up rather well. Even though he does look as if he's laughing insanely at a chocolate orange, he really is a bloody good sculpt.

I stripped the old model (removing the sssskin brought me... pleasure) and took off the rest of the paint with a pick. I went for a dark blue with a little bit of green in it for the robes. The... flesh was painted in light blue, washed with grey and brought back up with a pale skin tone, rather like the demons in a certain unrelated film series.

It doesn't "pop" much, as they say, but I think the muted colours rather suit him. I don't really like the whopping great machete/boat-hook he's packing, but I was reluctant to hack the model up. Now he's all set to lead his minions, in exploration of the further regions of experience. Which is nice.