Frostgrave Table Finished

So I had a bit of extra time over the Christmas holidays and managed to finish off the Frostgrave table that was sitting around, begging to be finished.  Since the last time I posted I moved one of the roads to make the board more nicely spaced, added the sand and some rubble to the gutters.  Finally, I applied paint!

The cobbles were painted dark grey up to white with drybrushing, and the show started as a medium grey and was painted up to white.  The gutters were first painted dark grey, then brown, then dark blue, light blue, and white.  They were given a gloss coat to simulate the shiny ice and water that fills them.

I hope you like the table, I am eager to try it out as a finished, rather that WIP, piece soon!

Pleasant Surprise 2015

Once again this year I participated in the Pleasant Surprise exchange over on the Warhammer Empire forum.  Every year it seems harder for me to find the time to create a nice surprise with my growing list of adult responsibilities, but I managed to paint up a figure this year nonetheless.  My recipient received his figure this past week, so I figured it was a good enough time to post some photos here.

I chose one of my favourite Empire figures from the 90's - a hero with sword and pistol.  I remember seeing him painted up in the army book when I was a kid, and I always wanted one.  Well, as a grown-up collector, I have managed to find one and even had a spare who is now with his new owner.

My recipient did not have many posted pictures of an army, so I got creative and chose this bold purple and green scheme.  I was quite happy with the results.  Every year it is a bittersweet tradition... I tend to paint figures I wanted to paint for myself, only to send them away for someone else.  I guess it is better to give than to receive, is it not?

I hope my recipient likes this figure as much as I did, and that he finds a memorable place in his collection!

The Halfmen of Westfalia

A few months back, I was following the design and sculpting of some stellar fantasy halflings by Westfalia Miniatures when I was given the opportunity to obtain some sample casts.  Naturally, I jumped on the opportunity and a few weeks later I had the figures in my hands.

Westfalia has decided to go with resin for these figures, and while I am typically partial to pewter, I was quite impressed with these.  The detail was crisp, there seemed to be just enough bend to the material without it being either flimsy or brittle, and mold lines were very minimal. My young kids even managed to grab a hold of the figures and were playing with them for a while without my knowledge, and nothing managed to get broken. I gave the figures a good wash, primed them, and finally finished them this past weekend.

These really are lovely little figures, and they paint up quite easily.  The leader with the hammer seems a shoe-in (or should I say shoeless-in?) Tyrion Lannister.  If only there was an unhelmeted version bearing the likeness of Richard Dinklage...

In homage to the halfman, I painted these guys in typical Lannister colours.  I hope you enjoy them, I even got creative with my background! Westfalia is planning a Kickstarter to fund the production of a large range of these little guys, and it is set to start around Dec 16, or so I am told.

Here are a couple more shots for your enjoyment:

Just an Ork...

I painted up this guy this past week.  I am supposed to get a unit of 10 orks painted by another gamer as part of a trade, so I painted up a test figure.  I returned to my favoured "ork with purple stuff" scheme which always sits well with me.

The orks are all of the older, more fun variety.  I could not let anyone else paint this little gem.  Something about the chainsword just fills me with happiness.  I have been wondering whether it is a chainsword/pistol combo, but keep jumping back and forth between yes and no.  There is no clear barrel for the gun part, but that little plasma vent makes it seem like it is more than just a hand-held tree feller.

Anyway, here are a few more views.  Hope you like him!

Frostgrave Table WIP #2

So, after some suggestions and some thinking, I decided that a recessed gutter would look better than a raised curb for this table.  It would also be more practical as the curb could interfere with some terrain placement.

Additionally, I replaced several areas of blocks with some foamcore I had laying around.  I am planning to cover some large swathes of the cobblestone in snow drifts, so there is no reason to cover up the completely good tiles I worked so hard to cast.  This has the added bonus of leaving me more leftover tiles to make some board expansions in the indefinite future.

Any other suggestions?  I think I will start gluing down the tiles this week, time (and glue permitting)!

Also, I forgot to add, the snow will be made using regular PVA glue and fine play sand.  It will then be painted appropriately along with the rest of the table.  Should work out much cheaper than purchasing enough snow flock to cover a table, considering I already have the sand.

A table for Frostgrave

So Frostgrave is the new thing it seems.  For those unfamiliar, it has a big following over at the Lead Adventure Forum, even with its own section. It is a fantasy skirmish game, set in a magical, frozen ruin of a city,  Seems pretty self explanatory.  I played a game with a buddy a couple weeks back, and we both really liked it.  We played on a 3x3 table, but both thought it might be more fun on a cramped 2x2 board.  This got me to thinking about all the unused hirst arts pieces I had laying around...

After a bit of foam cutting and experimentation, I came up with this:

The pieces are not yet glued down... I am still torn as to whether I should keep the raised border around the cobbled street.  I am considering removing the bigger blocks to leave a sunken gutter rather than a raised curb around the street tiles.  Any suggestions?  I think I might need some more glue...

Colony 87 - Interstellar trader

A recent Kickstarter campaign saw the production of six lovely sci-fi civilians.  I decided to paint up one of them, as I just got them last week and was quite excited to see some of them painted.  I thought I would add a little bit of my own background to the interpretation of the character.  I give you:

Pash Grolin

Whether you need ammunition or medication, stimpacks or recaff, if there is anyone in the galaxy who can get it for you, Pash is your man.  A merchant without equal, he is loyal only to money.  If you can offer him enough, there is very little he cannot accomplish.  He is characterized by his trademark white suit which, despite his willingness to go anywhere to make a deal, always seems to remain clean.  Mostly.  He always carries his most popular items on his person, never one to pass up a quick buck.  He also takes his respirator constantly, ever since the incident with the airlock on the star cruiser "Nemesis".  So whatever you seek, feel free to ask Pash.  Just be quick about it, or he will find another buyer!

Another great figure to paint, the details came out quite nicely.  I had a fun time making the base... a simple construct using some plasticard, wire, sand, drywall tape, and a plastic sprue.  A couple closeups of the base:

One day I hope to use Pash in some sort of narrative game.  I might even get pictures of him!

The struggles of gods and mortals...

Another little side project to satisfy my distractions.  A few months back, I picked up a copy of Osprey's "Of Gods and Mortals" ruleset.  It is a nice read, and I decided to make up a small force for a couple pantheons.

The first pantheon I am working on is ancient Egypt.  It is a small force, consisting of about 20 figures, here is the armylist:

Gods/Legends:

Horus

Sedja (counts as a Giant Crocodile)

Great Mummy

Generic Hero

Mortals:

Mummies x 4

Egyptian Elite troops x 5

Sherdan Guard x 4

For my first entry:

Horus, the patron deity of ancient Egypt, calls forth his most loyal servants.  The false gods of far away nations gather their forces, intent on despoiling the fertile kingdom.  To defend the Nile delta, he summons first his loyal servants from their long rest in the underworld.  Their mortal remains are withered and decayed, but their spirits are strong and their loyalty unwavering!

The first entry for this army is a unit of 4 mummies (skeletal guards from Dark Fable miniatures) and a Great Mummy (Northstar miniatures).

I have been waiting for an excuse to paint some of the Dark Fable figures I got a while back from their indiegogo campaign.  They were really fun to paint, especially the verdigris on the bronze.

Next up will be the Egyptian Elite troops.

More goblins for the warband...

I know I am slow at painting, but I did not finish this last batch of Orcmas goblins 6 months late.  It was only 4 months late, it just took me two months to post them!  These were the last of the goblins I had planned to paint.  They still need another coat of matte varnish, but I am quite pleased with them!

These old figures have so much character, I look forward to painting some more of them (at some point).  Here is a shot at a slightly different angle:

I hope you like them!  That's the last of the Orcmas theme for at least 4 months!

A Foray into Necromunda!

Ok ok, I am still here.  Just got busy with the birth of my third child a couple months ago!  Everything is going well, thanks for asking.

Now, this is an interesting topic.  Necromunda, scifi... something I had sworn not to do (Gorkamorka doesn't count!)  I constantly looked at my crowded crawlspace and vowed not to get into a new genre of miniature collecting.  Then a friend of mine suggested we start a Necromunda campaign.

I've never actually played it.

Lots of folk say it's great.

What could I do?  It really is my friend's fault...

I started by saying I would do it cheaply, convert some plastics, keep it simple.  Oops...

Here we have seven glorious metal Cawdor gangers.  They were painted using mostly inks and washes with a few opaque highlights.  I did them a bit more quickly, so they are not my highest quality but I am happy with them.  For the bases, I used some pieces from a gorkamorka trukk, some drywall tape, sand, floral wire and some odd bits of plastic.  I think they look suitably gritty!

Here is a shot of the boss and a few of the other gangers, up close and personal:

Hmm, I just noticed that I didn't wash the leader's pendant.  I will do that soon.  I hope you like them, I have a few more that need painting.  Then there are scavvies and arbites... :P

Some more Orcmas Orcs!

As promised, I have painted five lovely orcs to add to my Orcmas warbands.  These are from the currently discontinued Wargames Foundry line of Kev Adams orcs (my fingers are still crossed that they are re-released in the future!)  These were some of my favourite sculpts from the entire line, so I am glad I was able to purchase them before they disappeared.

As you can see, the character and goofiness of these figures is amazing.  I had some closeup photos of each orc on his own, but I think I will have to save those for another post to give a little backstory to each one.  Personally, I think they deserve it, don't you?

Enjoy!

Goblins join the fray!

In my ongoing efforts to finish projects I have started, I have been plugging away at my Orcmas themed miniatures.  This past month, I finished a few goblins, which I finally got around to photographing this past week.

The goblins are Kev Adams sculpts, classic stuff from the 90's!  These guys have been sitting in my stash for a couple years now, so I was very happy to finally get some paint on them.

The jester goblin is actually from the currently discontinued Wargames Foundry line, while the rest are GW night goblins.  The double-based goblins are squig prodders.  I experimented a bit with the fleshtones on these, with some receiving a more green-yellow-brown shade, and the others using the Wargames Foundry Moss Green palette (Triad 29).  I find the Moss is great for goblins, but a bit too pale (IMO) for orcs.

Here are the little blighters with their Boss, Gobbo Clawz:

What I have left for this project: five foundry orcs (painted but not posted) and six more GW goblins (just waiting to be primed).  I hope you enjoy these little guys as much as I did, any feedback is appreciated.

Two More Orc(mas) Guards

As promised, here are two more orcs to go with the Orcmas theme.  I know, Orcmas is long past, so we can just appreciate these guys as orcs.  These being from the Foundry mercenary 'orcs' range rather than the 'ogres' range, they are a tad smaller than the previous two (though not by much).  Their sculpts were a bit more simpler, so the painting progressed a little bit easier.

I was quite pleased with the brown fabric on the orc on the left, I had a good time with those highlights.  The expression on his face is also quite appealing.  The orc on the right looks cool with his big book (I assume it's the Naughty or Nice list, though orcs can't read, so...).

I have almost finished  a few goblins to go with this project, so you can hopefully expect those pretty soon.

Pleasantly Surprised!

So, for those wondering, I have been making progress on painting the unfinished progress on my desk.  I have photos to prove it, but won't be sharing them today.

Today is a bit more fun!  On one of the many forums (fora?) which I visit, in this case Warhammer-Empire, there is an annual miniature exchange.  In this activity you are assigned a forum member whom you will then stalk to find out their taste in miniatures.  You are supposed to choose something, paint it, and send it to the person (who will duly be 'surprised' when it arrives).

Today was the day for my surprise to arrive!  The user 'thorimm' had picked me, and he chose to paint not just one, but TEN battleforge halflings!  What a generous guy.  He also included some treats from Holland which I have been enjoying tonight.

On to the pictures!  Keep in mind, these were not painted by me for those who did not read anything written above this line.

I must say he did a smashing good job painting these guys.  In the past I have expressed reservations about Battleforge halflings (which thorimm expressed concern that I may not like the figures).  While I will continue to say that the sculpts are somewhat crude and the size differs dramatically throughout the range, with a good lick of paint they turn out quite fun and endearing!  Just the kind of thing I like.  I have seen some of these figures unpainted, and the paint really makes a difference in this case.

So, kudos to thorimm from the Netherlands!  These will fit in nicely with my Oldhammer stuff, and my boys had some great laughs unpacking the figures which were 'very funny guys'.

Happy 2015!

Well, another year of hobby-ing is upon us.  Like many of you good intentioned-folk out there, I have come up with a resolution.  A rather simple one, in fact.  I want to clean up my painting desk.  After a year or more of half-finished projects and random miniatures and bits amassing on the desk, it is starting to look somewhat less than organized:

I have to confess, however, that I tidied up a bit before I took the picture.  Almost all of my paints were out of the rack and spread across the table.  I also need to look into another paint rack, since I bought some Vallejo Game Air paints to try out, and I have no more room to hold them appropriately.  One thing at a time, however.  Making too many resolutions is a sure way to complete none of them!

So, for the next month or two I will try to paint up some of the backlogged and half finished miniatures strewn across the desk.  There are still a handful of my Orcmas-themed miniatures I wanted to paint, so I will work on a few of those for the time being.  Eventually I will likely get bored of the unfinished stuff, at which point I will probably send them back to the lead pile in shame.

If you look closely at my paint palette, you can see what I am currently working on.  Keep in mind this photo was taken last week so those may show up sooner than later on the blog.

Happy New Year, everyone!