A tidying the washing machine cupboard (don’t ask) unearthed a load of Foundry Conquistadors and a handful of old, unpainted lizard men, including some skinks, I picked up from somewhere on a whim.
A quick, rather than careful, paint job. Still plenty of satisfaction in getting something table ready though.
Some Estalian explorers about to get a nasty surprise
A few Saurus Warriors may follow.
Now, about those Griffins…
Last week my friend Matt sent me scuttling down a rabbit hole, by innocently asking if I had any Imperial Guard models from second edition 40k. Of course the answer would be ‘no’… mine are mostly earlier than that!
In fact, I’ve not really played 40k since Rogue Trader, despite collecting a few models here and there; I’d never even had or read the second edition. However, the text conversation that followed led to much googling, acquisition of pdf rule books of iffy provenance, and reading. I can’t say how it compares to modern 40k, but to me it felt very familiar - Rogue Trader with the edges knocked off, and many of the suggested rules I recall reading in White Dwarf.
So I’m going to dig out some of my old guard models for a spruce up and maybe a game or two. However that means mustering the courage for a raid on the attic. Not a task to take on lightly! In the meantime I had the bug to paint some 40k. Hang about, isn’t there a box with all the models from Space Hulk and Advanced Space Crusade nearby? Yes there is, including a handful of Tyranid Termagants I’d gathered on a whim some years ago. These were the sort of models I wanted to get on the table, but didn’t inspire the motivation to spend ages bulk painting a unit - but perhaps there was an easier way?
Turns out there was. I decided to try and come up with a recipe that would allow quick painting of a load of models to a decent tabletop standard. I wanted a look that harked back to the first Rogue Trader ‘nids’, which were a kind of bone colour, rather than the ultra colourful ones from the 90s or the modern purple and white - and maximised use of ‘quick’ techniques like spray undercoats, washes, drybrushing and some contrast paints.
Everything started with a spray of Khemri Dust, which was then washed with Reikland Flesh Shade.
When that was dry it was time for a drybrush with VJ Iraqi Sand. Weapons got successive washes of Athenian Camoshade to give them a different tone, and details picked out with red contrast paint (and a bit of Sigvald Burgundy where I wanted things to be a bit more vile).
The carapace got a layer of Black Templar contrast. I was originally going to try ‘Deathly Visage’ to give a purple tinge, but it had as much pigment a white coat in a bleach factory. The black turned out better than I hoped - the tan and sand colours underneath came through and left a nice organic look.
All in all, this lot were done over two evenings, about an hour or two each time. Leaving me feeling use achieved both my speed and appearance aims 😀.
Now I just need to find bases for a few more Warriors, and muster the Space Hulk genestealers! Oh, and stop the cat drinking from my brush water…
It’s
In August I hit the big half century, hooray….
On the upside, my sister bought me a box of the Wargames Atlantic foot knights as a birthday pressie (thanks Nikki!) and I’ve finally found time to assemble and paint a few.
I have to say it’s a very nice, versatile kit. There are loads of Weapon and head options, and the assemble really easily.
My first few will play the role of Guy of Gisburne and henchmen, going up against Robin Hood. The colours are a nod to the soldiers from the Robin of Sherwood TV series. The kettle helmet is from the Frostgrave Soldiers kit as a bit of an experiment in compatibility.
I’ve also assembled and painted one to order for the big miniature. This one will join her Viking and jousting knight on her bookshelf. The surcoat and helmet colours, and the wyvern charge on the shield were her requests - the Wyvern chosen as the symbol of Wessex, where I grew up.
While I had the glue out I also had a bit of another kitbash, combining a Frostgrave soldier body with the arm and weapons from the Wargames Atlantic Einherjar sprue to make an irregular/ scavenger type. Paint job is quite basic, but I think it proves the can work.
It’s a simple system, aimed at being fast and simple, to tell fun stories rather than provide a simulation. It’s also unashamedly biased towards the ‘Good Guys’. Essentially it involves opposed dice rolls - with better characters rolling more dice and picking the highest results. To add some extra flavour, there will be special cards that can be played to influence the game. More on them another time, but they have titles like ‘trick shot’, ‘Feat of strength’ - and ‘don’t just stand there, get them!’).
Our first outing saw Robin Hood walking through the forest when he finds his way across a river blocked by a giant of a man…
“Now stand back,” quoth Robin, “and let the better man cross first.”
“Nay,” answered the stranger, “then stand back thine own self, for the better man, I wot, am I.”
Robin managed to get the first blow in, and the two yeomen traded stout blows, pushing each other back and forth but, in the end…
Then Robin grew mad with anger, and smote with all his might at the other; but the stranger warded the blow, and once again thwacked Robin, and this time so fairly that he fell heels over head into the water, as the queen pin falls in a game of bowls.
So our game ended in the traditional way, with Robin taking a plunge in the river. We swapped characters after the first game, ending up with the same result; which was good as it meant we both had a chance to win.
All the captions above are quotes from Howard Pyle’s retelling of the Robin Hood tales, which very much set up our modern image of the noble outlaw.
Models are Medieval Mayhem and Footsore Miniatures.
Continuing with my recent theme of updating the paint jobs on old models, I present a Wood Elf from Citadel’s brief holding of the Lord of the Rings Licence in the 1980s.
Produced some time between ‘85 and ‘86 as part of the ME31 ‘Silvan Elves of Mirkwood’ blister, this delightful chap represented my character when playing Muddle Earth Role Playing (MERP). The paint job hadn’t been touched since then, making it awfully close to 40 years old.
Outhouse, dunny, WC, privy, bog, thunder box. Wherever you’re from, you’ll have your own word for the humble outdoor lavatory and, for some reason even I don’t understand, I’ve ended up with quite a few of them as cardstock scenery.
Left to right, we have:
An original Dave Andrew’s designed one from Citadel’s Blood on the Streets days, which has somehow survived many years and moves;
Fat Dragon Games, although I can’t immediately recall which set;
Three different ones from Dave Graffam (seriously, he designed three distinct versions!).
The confused chap who can’t quite decide where to … ‘go’, is the Village Idiot from Hasslefree Miniatures.
Also, thanks to this post, I now know there is a Wikipedia page dedicated to ‘Toilet Gods’ .
I’d always rated this as one of the poorest sculpts from the set. The pose is flat and unconvincing (why would you hold a massive mace in that position?), and the proportions are just a bit off somehow (just how long is that right arm?). Not Jes Goodwin’s finest work. So my plan was just get it done and move on.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
I really enjoyed painting him. I’m not quite sure what the recipe was. Perhaps my low expectations took the pressure off, maybe it’s the relative simplicity (when compared to modern minis) that meant I could concentrate on the painting - whatever it was, this chap was an absolute joy to paint, and the end result is a great match for the vision I had in my head.
Which just goes to show you never know how things will turn out, and the importance of just starting to get the paint on.
As much for my notes as anything, the surcoat was VJ Game Colour Gory Red, GW Mephistopheles Red and Sigvald Burgundy contrast paint, then VJ Game Colour Hot Red highlight.
Another Heroic Fighter joins the fray - the vaguely Norse themed Ulrik Ulrikson.
He still needs a shield, but I don’t seem to have any of the old plastic GW shields of the right size. A few are winging their way to me from eBay.
Time for an update on the Heroic Fighters set. First up, I present Lord Aquila!
Arguably one of the weaker models of the set, the pose is quite static, but on the other hand - just look at that massive crest! The weapon choice is unusual - it looks crude and primitive compared to the armour, almost Skaven like (they were both sculpted by Jes Goodwin after all)! Perhaps a trophy from a defeated rat thing clan leader that he now carries around to intimidate them with.
Here’s a reminder of how he used to look.
I’d say my technique has improved at least a bit.
Second is Manfred. He already got an updated paint job around 15 years ago, and sort of represented my breakthrough on effective shading and highlighting. So all he has had is some chips tidied up and painted.
It’s odd how his pose is nearly identical to Lord Aquila, yet feels much more convincing. Or is that just me?
First up: skeletons. I’ve dug out my old skellies from the attic. Most of these are a good 40 years old, going back to my early Warhammer days and plans, with a few eBay acquisitions over the years. Some have very poor paint jobs, many have never seen any paint all. I did a batch a while back, but decided to have another go. Paint jobs are quick and tabletop standard - they won’t hold up to close scrutiny, but I’m happy enough with them.
Inspiration came from the YouTuber Jordan Sorcery, who recently published his own Christmas themed Scenario pack, ‘Dead King Wenceslas’. Maybe I’ll finally have them ready for a game next Christmas…
I’ll also admit that my mind has turned to a ‘Barrow Kings’ themed take on Tomb Kings for Warhammer.
Above is the full box, almost all originally from Grenadier Models. There’s a funny story to this as well; just before lockdown I lost my glasses, had to get a new pair. Those broke when my daughter sat on them, and I’ve had no glasses for about two years now. Dug this box out of the attic just after Christmas, opened it… and there were my dratted lost glasses! At least I can see properly again.
Also about to take their place in the projects queue are the models from the Heroic Fighter of the Known World box set produced by Citadel many moons ago, which I have finally reunited from the various boxes they were stored in. More on them another time but, for now, here are the very varied paint jobs they currently have from the old days (no giggling at the back, I was very young at the time).
Sir Brut, Manfred, and Harald the Hammer. Manfred got an update in about the 2010s, and is still probably some of my favourite blending and highlighting work, so he will likely remain largely as is. Sir Brut’s not bad either. Harald was painted by my brother, so will mostly get a tidy up as well.
Ulrik Ukrikson and Gladius. Ulrik’s already been consigned to the Dettol pot…
Vlad Krakhead, The Moon Duke (probably my favourite model of the bunch) and, last but not least, Lord Aquila - who has also taken a dive into the Dettol to remove that lovely Humbrol gold enamel paint.
