Blood Axe Ork Nob!

Hi!

Well its my day off and I have finished another figure! Wonders will apparently never cease.

 Blood Axe Nob

Its another of the Mantic Marauders and I must admit the designs are really growing on me, despite the time taken to paint them. Theres been some slight conversion work on him, namely the addition of a classic Orky Bolter, sergeants stripes and a new optic for his bionic eye.

 Two Guns Are Better Than One!

I also went for a 30mm round base to help make him stand out as a leader figure and I do think it looks better, even when compared to the other Mantic Marauder I currently have painted who looked almost too big for his base.

The Squad Thus Far

I must admit the painting project has been quite a lot of fun, despite its snail like pace and I only need to paint up a few more to round out the squad but haven't finished with the Ripper Suit yet as its a real beast and its been a little problematic as some of the resculpted elements I added to it don't quite look right when painted so will be getting a little revision before completion!

Hopefully I will have one or two more figures finished over the course of the weekend and I have also had my Eldar purchases soaking in dettol for a couple of weeks now so look forward to getting them stripped and who knows, I may have some Eldar to show too!

All the best! 

Bloodaxes!

Hi!

I must admit my painting time has been almost non existent this week but I have managed to churn out a couple of Bloodaxe Orks!

Orks!

The Ork on the left is a Mantic Marauder from Deathzone and the one on the right is a classic Rogue Trader figure. Although theres a fair difference in height, they do look quite good together and I must admit I am quite proud of the camo pattern that they have. Its suitably sneaky but garish enough to be Orky and I went for a bit of a homage to the original artwork with the shotgun of the Mantic Ork with its non too subtle warning stipes.

As previously mentioned, the Mantic Ork took about 3-4 hours to paint while the classic Citadel one took about half that. I hope to get another few of the warband done in the next few days but I have set myself the challenge of painting up one of the heavily armed Marauders too to break up the monotony.

In my version of the Warhammer 40k universe, the Bloodaxes are hired and trained by the Imperium as local troops, much like the colonial Askari. Once I have a few more painted up I will see about adding on an Imperial advisor or commanding officer to lead the locals.

When the Bloodaxes are out of the way, I hope to get my Catachan squad sorted out. I have stripped a few of my old paint schemes from a few years back as I wasn't too happy with them and will be using them as a local Guard regiment based on the test piece I produced:

Catachan Guardsman

Unlike the traditional view of the Imperium, my version also boasts a somewhat higher level of tech so they will be accompanied by a battle droid with its own controller and mechanic to keep it running in the sweltering jungle or parched deserts of Farpoint.

After that I have vague plans for either a cult or rebel faction to fight against the Imperial Governor and the faceless minions of the Empire.  I also want to represent a detachment of Space Marines too as they are an iconic part of the 40k setting and I would love to have a bash at painting up some. I suspect I will be either going for some cheap mid 90's metals or more modern plastics to represent them rather than the fantastic old Beaky plastic and metal Rogue Trader era stuff..

All the best`!

Whats Your Golden Era?

Hi!

I've been sat painting one of the Deadzone Marauders I picked up in town the other day and I got to thinking about the difference in sculpting style that seems to have developed in the last few years. Looking at the old Rogue Trader era sculpts, theres a decided character to them, they are stylised and from time to time, a little rough around the edges. Saying that they are almost all a joy to paint.

Orks old and New

Moving forward into the early to mid 90's when I first started gaming, theres an improvement in sculpting quality and the finish tends to improve but some of that character of the earlier sculpts seems to be absent. 

 Mid 90s Warzone and Citadel

 Detailed but Characterful

Move forward to the modern and with the arrival of Rackham, the miniatures industry became awash with beautifully sculpted figures that required excellent paint jobs or would just look wrong. A case in point is the Marauder I am working on at present. He is absolutely covered in detail. Unlike the old Orks of Rogue Trader or even the mad variety of the Ork Clan period which would have interesting little details (Such as one of the heavy weapon chaps who is listening to his personal stereo for example) I would be interested to hear what other folks think on the subject but I am finding myself having to spend an exorbitant amount of time on one figure to get a decent finish which is most frustrating  while an older sculpt can be done in a far shorter amount of time but look far more pleasing.

Characterful!

Has the era of characterful sculpting passed and been replaced with a slight obsession with over detailing stuff? I am very aware that the likes of CG work can have a tendency to emphasize this issue as what looks good on a computer screen, doesn't necessarily work in 28mm. The figures look either strangely proportioned or just rammed with detail.

Likewise there seems to be a habit with some of the traditional hand sculpted stuff for either an overload of detailing or a very professional yet dull finish. Either extreme takes the joy out of painting in my own experience and resulted in my giving up on 28mm for such a long time.

With my return to the scale, I am increasingly finding that I am only interested in painting figures produced in the 80's and 90's with a very few exceptions. For the most part the figures I still find interesting and paintable seem to be sculpted by the same folks who made them back in the day, Bob Olley, Kev Adams, the Perrys and so on. I know that a lot of folks believe that the golden era of Citadel is from the 80's but theres still some lovely sculpts produced later on and which still are enjoyable to paint and look great without having to spend an age sorting out all the little details.

Maybe it's just an obsession with reliving my youth but I can't help get the feeling that the miniatures industry seems to have lost something along the way as quality and finish has overtaken individuality and character. Its interesting to note that many folks lament the same issue with computer gaming so maybe its an issue with all the geek related stuff out there after all!

All the best!

The Orkish Menace!

Hi!

Another day at work over and how better to relax than by posting some random musings!

Since starting this blog, I have been trying to sort out my idea of Oldhammer/ Cheaphammer/ Budgethammer or whatever one calls it and I have been thinking about creating some warbands with the eventual hope of playing a game or two. Alas my man cave isn't as big as I would like and my gaming budget is likewise rather slim these days. Combine this with my almost entire lack of spare time and one is left with few options.

Fortunately I seem to be enjoying painting again which has been a great relief and it has been great to work through the assorted and eclectic figures I have in my collection. Sadly my shotgun approach to painting doesn't help building a warband as I had been vaguely planning on which brings me onto the topic of my current rambling!

I have had a hankering to try out some Rogue Trader/Necromunda hybrid games and happened upon these chaps while I was visiting a local gaming store:

Marauders

While the store itself was a bit poor (virtually no stock and the usual herd of regulars who either stare at you like you are intruding or chat to the owner so much that you are ignored while trying to pay!) and I doubt I will be back but I did pick up some Mantic Orx Marauders. When I got home, I had a bit of a poke around the box and was pleasantly surprised. The Restic material holds detail very well and it cleans up without any bother at all and other than a few bent bits that should be fairly easy to sort out, I am really pleased with them.

I had been pondering the use of the newer GW Orks to bolster my Orky warband but just don't like the sculpts (or price!) and after rummaging through my bits box, I found I had a few of the old plastic Orks and a pair of Rogue Trader Orks that would fit the bill to bulk out the force a little bit.

The styles may vary a bit but otherwise, I think that with a lick of paint they should look decent in my warband that I am planning. The higher level of tech is also a bit of a happy coincidence as I want to field Orks with a variety of tech!

Proper Bright Orks!

Now onto the force itself! I plan on fielding a number of small warbands with about half a dozen or so figures in each. Each will be themed around a different concept and in the case of the Bloodaxes, it will be a raiding party operating on the borders of my reimagined Imperial space.

Yes, I am going for the unOrkiest of Orks! I love the original background for the clan with their aping of Imperial dress and tactics as well as their ability to hire Human mercenaries (often secretly Imperial Agents sent to sow discord amongst the Orkish ranks!) The initial force will consist of what I have at the mo and will eventually include one or two specialists which may then be expanded into their own small warband. For example I currently only have a single Kommando who will be the units infiltration and sabotage expert but who may eventually be joined by other like minded Orks to form their own unit.

Orkish Style

This approach is already bearing fruit as I have also looked out some Imperial Guard to act as foes for the Orks to skirmish against and hope to flesh out the force as and when possible.

One thing I do want to feature are the more fun and random elements of an Ork force such as Weirdboyz and more importantly a Madboy or two. I also hope to experiment with a different style of play where both sides have activation cards for each trooper as well as a few random ones representing unexpected events, misfortunes and oddball situations to liven things up. It will be a bit like the scenario generator from the old Rogue Trader rulebook which had literally hundreds of fantastic plot hooks and scenario elements that really set the imagination going and made for a far more interesting experience than a rather dull and boring straight up fight.

Mad Mob!

I hope to post more detail on the idea soon but its all sort of floating around at the moment so will need to be written up a bit before I jabber on about it any more. I do hope to get some Bloodaxes painted up soon though to keep me going!

All the best!

Assorted Ponderings

Hi!

Well I've had an interesting few days up to and including a thrilling day long course on health and safety with exam and am enjoying my day off immensely!

I've managed to finish off a couple of figures too. One is a classic Orc while the other is a modern sculpt of a female warrior and they have been as different as chalk and cheese when it came to painting.

 Savage Orc

I found this chap in my bits box and loved the look of the jaw so decided to have a bash at trying out a new recipe for Orc skin tones that I want to use for my Orky warbands. It looks a bit on the bright side but I am really pleased with how he turned out. The sculpt has lots of character and despite a few rough spots, was a joy to paint and looks great.

Warrior Woman

Next up this Hasslefree warrior woman has been stripped of its original paint job and repainted. I must admit I found this a very different experience from the Orc. Although technically very well sculpted, proportioned and armoured, I must admit I found painting her both frustrating and a bit of a chore to be frank. I can't help but feel there's just no character to her which I know may be heresy for lots of folks who love Kev Whites sculpts but I would far rather paint a load of old and a times slightly cartoony sculpts than too many more technically good but slightly dull figures!

Now enough navel gazing about the merits or otherwise of old and new sculpts and onto something a bit more interesting!

Over the last few posts as I regained my painting mojo, I have been pondering on the possibility of putting together some small warbands for both Fantasy and Sci-fi using a mixture of Mordheim, Fantasy Battle, Necromunda or Rogue Trader. The fantasy stuff is really getting there now with my Dwarves almost up to strength, closely followed by Chaos and Dark Elf warbands.

The Sci-fi stuff is somewhat lagging but I do hope to get some more gubbins added soon but my main issue thus far has been looking at the assorted warbands lists out there and being somewhat put off!

By this I mean I don't want to have to use the stuff that they give you the option of. For example, the Dark Elves for Mordheim are made up of Corsairs and Shades for the most part. Now this will make for a characterful warband but I don't really want to field them. My Dark Elves look more like a bunch of spoiled nobles so don't really fit the bill. Likewise, most figures are unarmoured initially but my Dwarves all field helmets, chainmail and shields!

Therefore the plan is to cheat a bit! Looking at some of the other blogs out there, folks using a combination of 40k 2nd edition and Necromunda seem to have struck a note with me. By limiting forces to 100 points, and using the Necromunda or Gorkamorka stats, people are creating really interesting little forces without bothering about what you supposedly can and can't do!

I love this old school approach and will be embracing it to create some interesting warbands using what I have and not worrying too much about what is allowed and what's not!

All the best!

Here Come The Dwarves!

Hi!

Well the last day of my holiday looms and I find myself wishing I had a couple more days of free time to get some more painting done!

Still, I have managed to get another Dwarf finished, this time a crossbowman!

 Dwarven Crossbowman

He's another Heartbreaker sculpt, this time from a multi pack of crossbowmen and is actually a replacement for an identical sculpt I picked up years ago at Macs Models  in Edinburgh. He's got tons of character and paints up really nicely. I must admit I do like how the metallics on his helmet turned out as its a lot more successful than the previous Dwarves.

Speaking of which, heres a quick group shot of the Dwarves I have finished thus far:

Dwarven Warband

A bit of an eclectic mix, they look excellent together and I have a few more around the place to beef up their numbers. In fact, looking at what I have, theres enough for a small Warhammer army but many of them are the Imperial Dwarves I picked up at Claymore a couple of years back and badly in need of stripping. Hopefully I will get chance to strip the little blighters sooner rather than later as they will really round out the force nicely.

In other news, I also managed to paint up an Imperial Guardsman yesterday. I fancied a bit of a change from the fantasy fare so primed a Catachan Jungle Fighter and quickly painted him up on a whim.

Imperial Guardsman

Its been great to get him painted up as I have a fair number kicking around the bits box and he got me to thinking about painting up a small Imperial Guard patrol.

I've been thinking of setting myself a challenge for a while now and quite like the idea of using a Necromunda/Rogue Trader hybrid to field some forces of the Imperium and its assorted foes. Possibly a little controversially I also plan on picking up a few of the new Orks and converting them to the various clans. As much as I love the old Citadel Orks, they are becoming a tad expensive on ebay and I must admit I am really not a fan of the skinny little plastic arms that come with them.

Goffs

I am going to be using the new priming, drybrushing technique on them as I want to get a more vibrant skin tone than the dull olive green that my Goffs have at present. They are all going to be painted in 2nd edition colour schemes too so I will have plenty of opportunity to go for some truly outlandish designs.

I am also going to have a bit of a trawl through ebay and the various forums for some cheap Marines, Chaos and Genestealer plastics. As the project only calls for about a dozen or so figures a side, it shouldn't cost too much either!

As mentioned on a previous post, I am also going to be working on livening up the bases. Looking at the Orks above, I can't help but feel the bases let them down and with the addition of some small terrain elements, be they rocks, mushrooms or foliage, they would look miles better.

Theres still lots of stuff to be painted from my lead pile both from GW and other manufacturers and I am fairly sure I will be able to find quite a few nice bits and bobs to add to the project as I go!

All the best!

Painters Progress

Hi!

I seem to have been bitten by the painting bug following my successes with my Elves and have finished off a couple more figures!

Centaur

The Centaur is an old Ral Partha sculpt and although a bit small by modern standards, he's a really lovely sculpt. Instead of going for the usual brown colour scheme, I settled on a bit of a bay look that worked out really well. He will be seeing action as a mercenary for the House Helios Elves until I get chance to paint up the rest of his herd.

Dwarven Veteran

I think this chap is a Heartbreaker sculpt and has loads of character. I may repaint his pipe though as it kind of vanishes into his beard. He adds a very handy double handed weapon to my Dwarven warband too and they are now nearing completion once I get some crossbowmen painted up. I do like the Kev Adams sculpting style for Dwarves. It makes them look a bit tougher and more rugged than some of the classic Citadel stuff!

Alas my holiday is nearing its end so I suspect I won't be able to keep up the pace of painting but hopefully I will still be able to get some done once I am back at work as I am really enjoying getting through my collection of unpainted lead.

I am also working on adding little features like rock outcrops and mushrooms to my bases as looking at the older stuff, they are rather let down with a plain brown base with just a little bit of static grass to liven them up. I am going to invest in some more Silfor tufts of different colours and even some of the flowers too which should help matters somewhat!

All the best!

House Helios Archer

Hi!

Here's another Heartbreaker Elf, this time an archer painted up as a member of the great house of Helios:

 Helios Elven Archer

I must admit I was a little unsure about the colour scheme, especially the striped leggings but as the elves are a fashionable lot, I think he looks quite decent!

The House of Helios is a reference to one of the forces from Chronopia, where each of the elven houses or noble families fielded very different wargear and troops. In the case of Helios, they were associated with the sun and fire based weaponry so the bright yellows look the part.

I think I need to tone back some of the highlights on his shoulder as they look a bit forced but otherwise, I am really pleased with how he turned out, despite my initial wobble about his leggings!

House Helios Troops

Looking through my bits, I have a couple of spearmen and another archer lying around from the same Heartbreaker range and I want to try and round off the warband with a suitably characterful leader. I think I actually have a few of the old Chronopia female Elven troops somewhere too who are armed with a broadsword and some sort of punch dagger which might do the trick...

All the best!

In The Pipeline!

Hi!

Well our trip to Loch Lomond was excellent and a much needed break from painting stuff and pootling around the house.

While driving around, I have had some time to think on what I want to do with my two gaming blogs, Tales From Farpoint and Tales From Aeroth.

Having rediscovered my painting mojo while getting the man cave in order has made me take stock of what I am going to be doing in the year ahead. Looking at the space I have and what I have been enjoying painting, I find myself with two main projects.

Firstly, my 15mm stuff over on Aeroth has been giving me great satisfaction and I still have lots of stuff to do with the setting and the assorted races that it contains.

Dwarves!

With the amount of space I have, theres no real way to play 28mm scale games, even at skirmish level in my room so I am going to have to face facts and stick to 15mm for playing games. I have a 2x3 foot board put together which equates to a 6x4 in 28mm so should be big enough to cope with skirmishes and even decent sized battles and I am aiming towards having enough stuff painted up by the end of next month to try out a game of Warhammer 3rd edition! 

Its going to be a small battle, probably between Dwarves and Orcs but it gives me something to work towards and I have a fair number of bits and bobs kicking around that will be seeing action in Aeroth.

Now onto this blog! 

As I've already mentioned, I seem to have regained my enjoyment of painting 28mm scale but not the space to game it. Therefore, I plan on working through my lead pile and painting up what bits and bobs I have simply for the fun of it. Maybe at some future point I will be able to get some games of Mordheim or even Rogue Trader so I am not going to get downhearted about it!

 More Dwarves!!

Not only am I going to try and flesh out my fantasy warbands, I also hope to paint up some oldish figures for my Necromunda/Rogue Trader/ In the Emperors Name warbands as I have a hankering to put together a few small parties of assorted bits and bobs including Inquisitorial hit teams, Hive Gangers and even the odd Genestealer cult!

Imperial Guard Killteam 

The variety should keep me from getting bored and I look forward to painting some of the stuff that has been sitting unloved and forgotten in a box for far too long. 

All the best!

Elven House Helios Axeman

Hi!

Just a  quick update this morning as we are heading out to Loch Lomond for a day out!

Following on from my post yesterday, I have finished up a second 28mm scale Elf. Wonders will apparently never cease as it too has turned out quite nicely!

Elven Axeman

He's a Dragonelf originally produced by Heartbreaker Miniatures and picked up in Macs Models back in the late 90s and painted pretty badly. He since has been sat in a box for over a decade having been stripped with the intention of repainting him. 

I must admit I didn't start out with the intention of giving him such bright gloves but I think it really works and the miniature itself is absolutely lovely. I have a few more kicking around somewhere and I am actually looking forward to painting them up too. 

The use of the black primer followed by a drybrush of grey and white really seems to be working for me at the moment and I am considering using it to paint up the rest of the stuff I have kicking around in my unpainted lead pile!

In other news, I will be posting another blog entry this evening with an aim to sorting out what I am doing with my two blogs but more on that later this evening!

All the best!

Dwarven Characters!

Hi!

Well its now the halfway point in my holiday and I've even managed to get some more Dwarves painted!

 Demonworld Dwarves

Alas the lighting in Scotland has once again proved gloomy and stygian as the fine red bearded chap is actually blonde! Still I have enjoyed painting up the two immensely and the Demonworld figures are spectacular quality. I would go as far as to say they surpass a lot of 28mm stuff in fact!

Next up heres a quick shot of them alongside my own sculpts:

Spot the Difference...

They do make my own attempts look a little simplistic but they actually don't look too bad together. I must admit I am finding myself drawn towards making a full sized army of the little fellows as they look so good. In fact I may combine my current Oldhammer Skirmish with my Dwarves!

I still have enough to paint to round out a small regiment and will see how they look once combined but I am really loving the fact that I can sit down and paint a figure in under an hour and get a satisfactory result without the faff and hassle I have been experiencing with my 28mm scale stuff over on my Farpoint Blog.

Who knows, maybe these Dwarves will be seeing double duty as the stout defenders of Mal Dulm in Aeroth and Karak Eight Peaks in the Border Princes of the Warhammer World!

All the best!

Oldhammer Skirmish Part 2, Elven Leader

Hi!

Well after all my humming and hahing, I finally took the plunge and painted up a 28mm figure last night and to my immense surprise, he turned out quite nicely!

Elven Leader

He's originally from Grenadier I think and I have had him for years now. Originally painted back in the day, stripped and painted again before being stripped once again and primed last year, he's been through the wars a bit and theres a few rough bits showing on the figure once he's been painted but I have finally painted a 28mm scale figure and been reasonably happy with the result.

I had primed him black and given him a drybrush of mid grey and then white following an article I spotted over on Kings Miniatures a while back but he then sat in a box for a considerable time. Maybe its this technique that works for me as he almost seemed to paint himself and was done in about 90 minutes.

Buoyed by this success, I then tried to paint a Chainmail Orcy figure but gave up halfway as the finish was terrible. Maybe it was the black primer or just a more modern miniature but I found this terribly disheartening. 

This morning I have rummaged out a few Wood Elves that have been in my collection for just as long as this chap and plan on trying the same technique again to see if it works again. If so I should have a small warband of some of the classic figures I have had for about 15 years or so repainted to a standard I am actually happy with!

In other news, my Slann warband is nearing priming with just a couple more small details to add before the paint is applied!

All the best!

Oldhammer Skirmish Part 1: The Border Princes

Hi!

Having settled on trying out an Oldhammer skirmish, I thought I should try and flesh out the setting a little!

Having read the 3rd edition background, I must admit I find myself unable to restrain the temptation to tinker somewhat with the setting as I still find it a bit too depressing to use as is. I know its supposed to be a bit grim but one can only cope with so much before being put off. 

Therefore heres my take on the Border Princes:

 The Border Princes is the name given to the vast area of land that lies between the Black Mountains and the Black Gulf. This rather barren region had always been sparsely settled until the time of the founding of Bretonnia (approx. IC1000), when Bretonnian nobles and adventures fleeing from wars within the Empire struck out to settle what was know as 'The Badlands'. For almost a century these adventurers waged war against Goblins and other evil creatures occupying the land, but eventually succeeded in driving their enemy back to Blood River - the current border of The Badlands.

The inhabitants of the Border Princes are a hardy bunch and occupy a number of fortified towns and cities throughout the region and often feud amongst themselves or the various robber Barons who occupy the borders of Bretonnia and the Empire and spend their time raiding south for fun and profit.

Karax-A-Karak

To the East, the Dwarves occupy their great Hold of Karaz-a-Karak and dream of one day retaking their lost mountain empire and have begun reforging links with the other great hold in the region, Karak Eight Peaks, a hold that has survived despite constant sieges from greenskins for over a century. The combined forces of these two holds have become known as the Hammer and the Anvil as Kazak-A-Karak excels at offensive operations and Karak Eight Peaks at defence. When combined these two forces are a match for any foe that they meet. 

Consequently, several smaller holds have been reoccupied between the two and even now parties of Dwarven Tunnel Guards sweep ever deeper into the ancient depths to root out bands of Orcs, Goblins and vile Skaven. This ongoing campaign has taken a great amount of resources and the Dwarves have encountered fierce opposition but are slowly retaking the depths and expanding their influence to the West. 

Upper Reaches of the Black River

This influence is bringing trade in the form of ore, finely made weapons and pricey jewellery from the holds to the Border Princes city states and in return, supplies of grain, livestock and even hardy adventurers in search of fame and fortune heading back to the mountains.

This increase in wealth has been noted by the robber Barons and convoys have been raided with increasing frequency and they are now protected by a strong force of caravan guards comprising of Human, Dwarven and even Elven free companies.

Human raiders are the least of the worries of the Border Princes though. Tribes of Orcs and Goblins, driven south over a century ago have begun raiding north into the border territory from the Badlands and several smaller towns and villages have been sacked by rampaging warbands. Consequently the Border Princes have been flexing their newly wealthy muscle and hiring mercenary armies to strike back at the greenskin menace and the Border country has become awash with fortune hunters, disgraced nobles and deserter bands in search of employment. 

The Worlds Edge Mountains

Not surprisingly this powder keg has seen a number of battles between city states and rumour has it that the might of the Empire will be sent south to annex the region to stop the conflict from spreading and purely by coincidence, give the Emperor access to the Dwarven trade routes.

Unbeknownst to the Humans, the Skaven council of 13 has formed an alliance with the evil Dwarves of Black Peak. These degenerate and mutated Dwarves were turned to Chaos by the Skavens poisoning of the water supply with Warpstone in times past and now these foul mockeries of Dwarves supply dark weapons of war to the very creatures that caused their fall and even to the Greenskins who battle their own kin.

Caravan Route, The Border Princes

The Skaven have been driven from their burrows in several regions of the Worlds Edge Mountains but the great dens of Fester Spike and Putrid Stump are sending waves of vermin along their subterranean passages towards the Dwarven holds and even now a horde of Skaven under the command of the Grey Seer Sqveek Viletongue is preparing to assault the Dwarven hold of Karak Izor.

If this hold falls, one of the few safe passes from Bretonnia and the Empire will be closed and the Border Princes will be cut off from aid from the great human kingdoms of the north. Already packs of Clan Eshin Gutter Runners have been fighting a running battle with Dwarven miners deep in the mines of Karak Izor and the holds ruler, Cael Steelmaul has mobilised his army to repel the ratmen but his forces are vastly outnumbered.

This is the state of the Border Princes in the year IC 2415. 

Whee! As you can see there's plenty going on in the Border Princes and I hope to get to work on some warbands soon too. Sadly despite this project giving me lots of inspiration, its not got me painting 28mm scale yet, mostly because I just don't have the space to game it. The solution will just have to be to crack on with it in 15mm scale as I am busily constructing a 2x3 foot board that will be perfect for skirmishes and even larger battles in 15mm scale as it equates to roughly 6x4 in 28mm scale and am using THIS ARTICLE from Realm of Chaos by Orlygg to good effect!

All the best!

Oldhammer Skirmish?

Hi!

As much as I am enjoying my 15mm scale Slann Warband, I still find myself perusing some of the Oldhammer blogs and gazing with envy at the fantastic 28mm scale miniatures contained within.

I still have a decent sized bits box kicking around which is heaped full of 28mm lead but haven't managed to find any way to inspire myself into painting them.

In fact, looking back at my blog, I haven't managed to paint any 28mm scale gubbins since these fellows over a year ago:

 Chaos Warriors

I have been thinking about the possibility of using the likes of Warhammer Quest or Advanced Heroquest to get me going but even that seems to have failed to get me to do much more than have a rummage around in the vague hopes of finding something to paint to get me started.

Sadly this hasn't really worked as my 15mm painting has kept me very much entertained instead which brings me onto the reason for my rambling blog entry. I have been wondering about the feasibility of using the 3rd edition Warhammer rules in conjunction with Mordheim to create some very characterful little warbands that will give me the push I need to paint up some of my stuff that is currently sitting unpainted in a box.

 Dark Elf 

Re-reading both Mordheim and the older Warhammer rulebooks, theres lots of really interesting concepts that would be great fun to expand upon but some of the forces, especially the likes of the Undead are a bit too powerful (why have a Vampire as the leader and then arm him with a halberd, a singularly unvampire like weapon!)

Therefore, I plan on using the basic rules of Mordheim but with an Oldhammer mod to create some more interesting warbands and see what I can come up with. I am also thinking of setting the action amongst the chaotic Border Princes which form the southern border of the Empire. This will give me plenty of opportunities to play around with the ever shifting factions and petty warlords who rule of this lawless region.

Dwarf

Hopefully I will have some success in rummaging the bits boxes and see what I can find!

All the best!

Dwarven Mountain Son

Hi!

Well I am now officially on a weeks holiday so can crack on with some painting and to get the ball rolling, heres a new addition to my Dwarven force, the Mountain Son:

Mountain Son

High in the Axeblades, a race of giants have lived since the Age of Legends. Hidden in their high valleys, they are known as the Mountain Sons and have served as heavy infantry for the Dwarves for centuries. Although few in number, they are doughty warriors who enter battle wearing heavy plate armour and wielding heavy hammers and axes.

They also find employment in the great subterranean Dwarven forges where their massive strength and skill with metalworking makes them much sought by the Engineering Guild.

Dwarven Troops

Originally a 28mm scale Dwarf from Mantic Games, I have reworked his helmet and beard so it looks a bit less cartoony and I must admit he looks quite good as an ogre sized humanoid in 15mm scale. I plan on building up a unit of five or six of them as time allows to act as an elite regiment of the forces of Dur Zamor.

I have also finished off another human crossbowman for my Pinecliff force, this time wearing one of the immediately pieces of armour worn by the defenders of this lonely outpost.

Pinecliff Crossbowmen

I am slowly working my way through my unpainted 15mm scale stuff and should have about half a dozen decent little warbands put together over the coming months which should allow me to get some games played!

Demonic Attack! 

I've also got some quick shots of my 6mm stuff in action and really want to get some Dwarf infantry sorted out so that I can get some games in featuring some larger confrontations than possible with my 15mm scale stuff!

A Horned Folk warband is confronted by a lone Dwarven Wargolem

I do like how this project is turning out, I only wish I had more time to work on it as the results thus far have been really promising and it would be great to feature some larger battles such as the Orcish assault on the Great Wall in the Axebite Pass or some epic confrontation between the Elves and Northern Barbarians!

Cursed flesh versus Dwarven steel

Hopefully over this week of holidays, I will be able to crack on with getting some stuff done as I am really enjoying my hobby again and the world of Aeroth still has lots to reveal!

All the best!

Slann Warband Part 5

Hi!

As promised heres a few pics of my finished warchief for my Slann Oldhammer project!

Slann Warchief with greatclub

I must admit I rather went to town with him with the conversions as his club, shield, loincloth and headdress are all new additions. He also took quite a bit of extra time to paint but as he will be the leader of my fledgling army, he really looks the part of a wild savage!

Looking at the photos, there are a few rough spots that could do with a little more work but to be honest I doubt I will bother as on the table he looks absolutely fine. I think if I was to do him again, I would probably add an ornate back banner to really make him stand out a little more, just as the Aztec heros did when they went to war but as he is from a rather savage frontier tribe, I think the gear he has is fine.

 Headdress Detail

Sculpting all the little details was great fun and its really inspired me to try something a little special on my next character who will be a magic user to give my Slann a bit of extra muscle.

If you look closely at his base, theres a fly/beetle sat next to him, its the original tip of his staff and I've included it on his base. Sadly once the base was completed, he kind of blends in a bit much so I may have to add some different colours to the tiny fellow to make him stand out again.

The Warband So Far

As you can see, the warband is really coming together and its hard to believe that there are only three different miniature poses in the photo. I am really loving the sculpts as with just a little conversion, they really look the bees knees!

I also have the first five of my close combat troops converted and almost ready to prime. All they need are a few feathers and the odd headdress to finish them off before painting commences and that will only leave me with the last five to do and the initial challenge will be complete!

All the best!