High Elf Buildings Through the Years

Last November, I got a 3D printer in the form of a Bambu Lab A1 Mini, and I've mainly been using it to print various pieces of terrain and movement trays for Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy, as well as some paint racks for my new Nostalgia '94 paints. 

I recently printed this lovely High Elf watchtower, designed by the talented Doctor Spork, for my High Elf army. This tower is part of the Retro Elven Temple set, which I think it's safe to say draws some inspiration from the card buildings from the Tears of Isha campaign pack released in 1998. Doctor Spork has also blessed us with the Retro Elven Obelisk, the Retro Elven Watchtower and the Retro Elven Fortress!

Primed and ready to go!

While building and priming the tower, I started thinking about the Games Workshop Studio High Elf buildings and how they had changed over the years. I was also curious about which design elements Doctor Spork had drawn upon for his own creations. Well, I guess it's time to dig out the old White Dwarfs and rulebooks! Pour yourself a glass of fine Elven wine and join me on a trip down memory lane.

4th edition (1992-1996)

The main piece of High Elf scenery from 4th edition was, of course, the iconic dual watchtower! This tower can be found in countless photos from this era and remains instantly recognisable to all Warhammer hobbyists of a certain vintage.

High Elf tower and obelisk (Warhammer Rulebook, 4th edition, 1992)

The image above appears in the 4th edition rulebook, which means that the tower either predates 4th edition and was built during the 3rd edition era, or that it was created specifically for the release of 4th edition. I've browsed through White Dwarf issues all the way back to December 1990, but the earliest image of the tower I've been able to find appears in the September 1992 issue (the same photograph that appears in the 4th edition rulebook). Let me know in the comments if you know anything more about the tower's origins!

The model was painted in a warm bone colour, almost leaning into a pale yellow, with a green roof. It had some cool features, such as the hanging lantern and a flag flying from the roof. Only the lower tower had a door at ground level, so I imagine that if the door were breached, the defenders could retreat across the bridge into the taller tower and try to hold out there.

High Elf tower (Warhammer Rulebook, 5th edition, 1996)

There was also an obelisk that featured prominently in the Studio photographs from the period. This model had a distinctive four-sided, tapering form, ending in what I now know is called a pyramidion (the capstone). It featured large Elven runes inscribed on its sides and at least one large green gemstone. Like the watchtower, it would go on to influence the later High Elf buildings.

High Elf obelisk (Warhammer Rulebook, 5th edition, 1996)

How to Make Wargames Terrain (1996)

I had hoped to find out more about the High Elf buildings in Nigel Stillman's wargames terrain book, but sadly there wasn't much information to be found.

High Elf watchtower and obelisk (How to Make Wargames Terrain, 1996)

The watchtower and the obelisk make an appearance, but only as a brief example of how you can build themed terrain to go with your army. It's interesting to see the watchtower being referred to as the "gate and the tower".

High Elf watchtower door (How to Make Wargames Terrain, 1996)

The watchtower returns in the section on making doors, where we get some insight into how the ground-level door was made.

5th edition (1996-2000)

When the new 5th edition High Elf army book was released, the roof of the old tower was repainted in a light blue colour (probably a controversial move in the eyes of staunch 4th edition fans!), setting a precedent for all future High Elf buildings. The green trim around the doors and windows was also repainted to match the bone colour of the surrounding walls. The 4th edition obelisk seems to have escaped repainting, as it looks entirely unchanged from the previous edition. Here we can also see a newly constructed obelisk with a different design from its 4th edition counterpart. It features what appears to be a crystal at the top, suggesting that it may represent a beacon of some sort. Off the top of my head, I can't recall seeing this piece in any other photographs, but surely it must have appeared elsewhere as well.

High Elf tower and obelisks (Warhammer Armies: High Elves, 5th edition, 1997)

The tower turned up in a post by Edward Stevenson in the Oldhammer Community Facebook group in February 2021. He had apparently acquired the original Studio model from a former housemate who had previously shared a house with an ex-GW staffer (who owned several pieces of the classic Studio terrain). It's always fascinating to hear stories like this about what became of those old terrain pieces. I recently came across a video of someone restoring the original Studio river. What a relic!

High Elf tower (Oldhammer Community Facebook group, 2021, photo by Edward Stevenson)

The 5th edition High Elf army book also contains photos of this impressive High Elf fortress gate, flanked by two towers. I believe this is the first time this model was featured, which suggests it was built for the 5th edition release. The roof design looks very similar to that of the original 4th edition watchtower, albeit a little more elaborate. The overall colour scheme also closely resembles that of the original watchtower. Note the protruding ridges at the base of the towers, which can also be seen on the watchtower. Interestingly, the windows have a completely different shape. I assume the design is meant to represent arrowslits.

High Elf  fortress (Warhammer Armies: High Elves, 5th edition, 1997)

Tears of Isha (April 1998)

April 1998 saw the release of the campaign pack Tears of Isha, which focused on a series of clashes between the High Elves and the Dark Elves in the Shadowlands. The box came with a set of beautiful card buildings in the form of a mansion, a watchtower and a beacon. This was, as far as I know, the first and only time you could buy High Elf buildings from Games Workshop for use on your own tabletop. Well, technically there was also the metal waystone you got with the High Elf Cavalry Patrol boxed set released in White Dwarf 217 (January 1998). It was also later made available through Mail Order.

Interestingly enough, the buildings were part of the story that played out in the campaign. In the first scenario, Blooded Shores, the Dark Elves seek to destroy the beacon (Toughness 6 and 10 Wounds) to prevent it from guiding the High Elf ships patrolling the coastline of Nagarythe. The mansion and the watchtower come into play in the fourth and final scenario, The Battle of Brothers. The High Elves may deploy up to 20 archers in the mansion, where they count as being in hard cover and are able to fire in any direction.

Taking a closer look at the designs, we can clearly see the influence of the classic 4th edition watchtower in the shape of the roofs and the bone colour of the walls. The beacon appears to have borrowed many design elements from the 4th edition obelisk. The mansion is particularly interesting, as it has no obvious precursor among the earlier High Elf buildings and would have given the Studio artists a great opportunity to explore the Elven architecture of the Warhammer world. The walls and alcoves of the mansion feature numerous examples of Elven runes, gemstones and imagery drawn from the High Elves' background, such as the sun, the moon, phoenixes and dragons.

Tears of Isha buildings: Mansion, Watchtower and Beacon (White Dwarf 220, April 1998)

Warhammer Siege (August 1998)

The Warhammer Siege expansion book didn't provide us with any new High Elf buildings, but the fortress makes an appearance. This image gives us a rare view of the gate's interior, as well as an action-packed scene in which the High Elf defenders attempt to drive back the Orc attackers!

High Elf Fortress interior (Warhammer Siege, 5th edition, 1998)

The book also includes a zoomed-out photograph of a game in progress, showing the High Elves sallying forth from their fortress. This image reveals that the model was primarily built as a display piece for close-up photographs rather than as a complete fortress.

Warhammer Siege battle in progress (Warhammer Siege, 5th edition, 1998)

6th edition (2000-2006)

The 6th edition High Elf army book was released in January 2002 and included some new scenery. The old classics from 4th and 5th edition were nowhere to be seen, and this time around the warm bone colour scheme had been left behind in favour of a much colder white colour. The two terrain pieces featured in the book aren't free-standing buildings, but rather huge gates or temples built into the cliff face at the edge of the table.

High Elf gate (Warhammer Armies: High Elves, 6th edition, 2001)

The first terrain piece, described as the famous Griffon Gate, features a massive gate flanked by two slender obelisks. The gate is crowned with a golden phoenix emblem. The obelisks share the same basic shape as the old 4th edition one, but are considerably taller. Note the use of Warhammer 40,000 Eldar Fire Prism crystals atop the obelisks.

High Elf shrine and ship (Warhammer Armies: High Elves, 6th edition, 2001)

The second photograph depicts a mysterious shrine somewhere in Ulthuan (probably in Saphery, as it bears its emblem), along with an impressive scratch-built ship complete with crew. The shrine features similar tall gates and slender obelisks to those seen on the Griffon Gate model above.

Personally, I like the 6th edition terrain the least of all the editions. It wasn't as iconic as the 4th and 5th edition models, and it wasn't used nearly as much as the later 7th edition buildings. Overall, I think the High Elf scenery from this era was rather forgettable.

7th edition (2006-2010)

When the 7th edition High Elf army book was published in 2007, the Studio (in the form of hobby maestro Dave Andrews) built a beautiful collection of themed terrain to accompany the army. This consisted of a very tall tower, an intact house, a damaged one and several obelisks (once again sporting a more slender design than the stockier 4th edition one).

High Elf buildings (White Dwarf 335, November 2007)

The colour of the stone walls changed once again, leaving behind the stark white of 6th edition in favour of a cream colour with sepia shading in the recesses. The roofs remained blue, but now featured diamond-shaped shingles instead of the earlier design, which resembled flat metal sheets. The doorways continued to use the established oval shape, but it seems that the artisans of Ulthuan had forgotten how to make actual doors. I suppose the Elves must really trust their neighbours!

White Dwarf 344 (August 2008, page 79) provides some insight into the design of the new High Elf buildings. Over to Dave Andrews himself: 

"An easy trap to fall into when making Elven buildings is to make them look like they've come straight out of a fairytale storybook. This is obviously easier to avoid with Dark Elf architecture, although by weathering the white stone walls of the High Elf buildings you can dispel that saccharine look and make them feel part of the Warhammer world."

High Elf tower (7th edition, 2007)

A nice detail on the 7th edition buildings is the use of white rock formations on the bases. This makes you wonder if the buildings were carved directly from the stone, or if the Elves simply built around the rocks. The bright white rocks also suggest that the buildings belong in the magical lands of Ulthuan, rather than the drab lands of Men in the Old World.

High Elf house (7th edition, 2007)

This building has several interesting features, including the small tower protruding from the roof, its asymmetrical shape, the balcony and the lanterns.

High Elf damaged building (White Dwarf 344, August 2008)

Battle-damaged buildings weren't all that common in the Studio collection, but here's one example. I like how the building isn't completely ruined, but has clearly suffered some damage (the work of the Dark Elves, no doubt)!

Nothing really compares to the 4th and 5th edition buildings, but I've always had a soft spot for the 7th edition collection. Dave Andrews clearly had a vision for how the buildings should look, and the use of a shared colour palette (cream and blue with gold and red details) and repeated design elements (archways, tiled roofs and the raised ridges running vertically along the walls) gives the collection a strong, cohesive look.

8th edition (2010-2015)

8th edition was the final edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles (not counting Warhammer: The Old World), and as far as I know, the Studio continued using the 7th edition buildings in their photography. As my knowledge of 8th edition is rather limited and I don't have the High Elf book to hand, I'll end this little retrospective with 7th edition.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Spork 

After gathering all this information about the Studio buildings, I thought it would be interesting to take another look at the Retro Elven Tower and see if I could identify design elements from the different eras.

Starting at the top, the diamond-shaped shingles on the roof appear to draw inspiration from the 7th edition designs. I prefer this style to the earlier flat roof designs, as it gives you more texture to work with when painting.

Continuing downwards, the corbels (I learned a new word!) at the base of the upper section of the tower resemble those on 4th edition tower, although they are a little less pronounced.

The shape of the windows is reminiscent of those on the 4th edition tower, but with an added gemstone above. I really like this detail, as it makes the building look more ornate and give you an opportunity to add a contrasting colour when painting the model.

The design of the wooden door, with its iconic oval shape, pays homage to the classic 4th edition tower. However, while the door jamb on the original was fairly plain, Doctor Spork's version is much more ornate.

With that, this little look back at the history of High Elf buildings has come to an end. I even learned a few architectural terms along the way, such as pyramidion and corbel. Who says playing with toy soldiers can't be educational? Be sure to keep an eye out for a future post, where I'll be taking a look at how I painted my High Elf tower!