For reasons still not completely clear to me, when tackling a bunch of Orruk armies last Orktober I set about doing the ‘grand battalions’, basically painting up big formations to build entire clans/tribes. One particularly knotting one, because of the number of models that – in normal battles – I will likely never, ever need, was the Ardfist. An entire Ironjawz fist comprising nothing but Ardboyz.

Well, over the past couple of weeks, I sat down with my nose to the grindstone and finished off the last two units needed to do the entire thing.

Fifty Ardboyz in five units of ten, led by an Ardboss who has a ‘proper’ Ironjawz Warchanter watching over his shoulder (and no doubt bopping him on the head when he stuffs up).

Now, as I said, there really is no good reason to have this many Ardboyz in a completed Ardfist. But, I think, there comes a time in army building where you just have to say ‘sod it, I am doing every single Orruk in the tribe…’

That is my excuse, at least.

So, is that the entire Brawl completed?

It certainly stands as a convincing attempt, as the full Ardfist joins a full Brutefist and full Gorefist. However, I cannot help glancing at the Ironjawz shelf and seeing a three unit Weirdfist right at the end. It would only take two units of Brutes to finish off…

Fortunately, despite having bought and assembled those Brutes, I am going to be saved (for the immediate future at least) from polishing them off by the arrival of the new edition of Age of Sigmar.

Unless, you know, something tragic happens, and it does not get delivered until next week.

With the Ardfist now done and dusted, I am going to have to try to find some narrative battles to squeeze them into. There is nothing on the horizon as yet (Thonida has Bonesplitterz rather than Ironjawz) but, now the Ardboyz are finished, they can sit patiently while waiting for their big, glorious fight to show off what they can do amongst the ‘proper’ Ironjawz.

And with that, the decks are cleared for the new edition of Age of Sigmar (pointedly ignoring those two units of Brutes on the to-be-painted shelf), which is a rare thing – I actually achieved all I set out to do (and more) before the new edition and the models it brings landed!

Worthy of a few hours of celebration before the new box arrives in the post this afternoon…