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!