WarpLand miniature - Zandor The Cruel

This WarpLand miniature brings one of the most feared warlords of The Grunge to your tabletop in stunning resin detail. Zandor The Cruel is a large mounted figure standing 91mm from top to bottom, depicting a hulking armoured rider astride a nightmarish winged beast, banner-tipped halberd raised in grim authority. Every rivet, skull motif and scale-plate speaks of a warrior who has ridden through Void-scarred wastelands and emerged crueller for it.

Zandor commands from the back of a creature that should not exist, a broad-winged mount whose angular, crystalline hide bears the unmistakable mark of Warp corruption. Leathery wings flare wide, clawed limbs grip the rocky base, and the beast's elongated skull is bound with iron bridle-work, broken to the will of its master through methods no sane rider would attempt. The base captures a shattered stretch of ruined terrain, scorched earth and cracked stone, the kind of ground left behind when an Iron Lord rides through.

The rider himself is encased in layered plate adorned with horned pauldrons, chainmail skirt and a full-faced helm crested with curving horns. A flowing banner trails from his polearm, tattered by the winds of the Wurmspine passes. Skull devices decorate his saddle and armour, a calling card left on every road where travellers vanish and settlements burn. Sculpted by Taiga Miniatures, this large resin kit is cast in high-quality grey resin and is suitable for display, roleplaying campaigns or skirmish wargames set in the post-apocalyptic dark fantasy setting of WarpLand.

Supplied unassembled and unpainted. Resin model. Approximate height 91mm. Requires hobby adhesive. Not suitable for children under 14. Keep away from small parts.

The painted studio model shows a striking combination of cold steel-blue armour, deep violet flesh on the mount and vivid scarlet cloth, a palette that evokes corrupted nobility riding out of a Void-blasted horizon. Use the steps below to replicate the look or build your own vision of this WarpLand miniature.

1. Prime

• Spray with a black primer for maximum shadow retention across the deep armour recesses and leathery wing surfaces.
• Zenithal highlight with a light grey spray from above to pre-shade the raised surfaces before any colour is applied.

2. Armour Base

• Basecoat all armour plates with a dark desaturated blue such as a deep naval blue, applied in two thin coats.
• Layer up the raised edges and shoulder plates with a brighter steel blue, leaving the recesses dark to create depth.
• Apply a thin wash of blue-black ink across all plate sections and allow to settle fully before moving on.

3. Trim and Details

• Pick out rivets, buckles and trim with a warm bronze, then shade with a dark brown wash to age the metalwork.
• Paint the chain links and bridle hardware in a mid-iron grey, washed with black to push them into the background.
• The skull motifs and face mask details can be highlighted with off-white to make them catch the eye against the darker armour.

4. Weapons

• Basecoat the halberd shaft in a dark ochre brown, then drybrush a lighter tan to suggest worn wood grain.
• Paint the blade and spear tip in dark steel, edge-highlight with bright silver, then apply a fine rust-orange streak to suggest old bloodstains or corrosion.
• The banner should be painted in deep crimson, layered up to a brighter red at the centre folds, then shaded back with a dark red-brown wash in the creases.

5. Weathering

• Stipple chipped areas onto armour edges using a torn blister foam and a dark brown-black mix, followed by a tiny bright silver dot at the chip centre to simulate deep battle damage.
• Dust the lower leg plates and the mount's feet with a dry pale ochre pigment or drybrushed light sand to ground the figure in the ash-soaked earth of The Grunge.
• Apply a thin gloss varnish only to the mount's eyes and any gem details before finishing the rest of the piece in matte varnish.

6. Bases

• The integrated scenic base suits a wasteland palette of charcoal grey rocks drybrushed with mid-grey and then light bone, with the flat ground areas painted dark brown and dusted with grey ash pigment to match the desolate roads of this WarpLand miniature's home territory.