What I've let myself in for

A whole 5 models complete! 4 of them weren't painted before lockdown!

 

I'm sure like many of you, my initial optimism about the effect of lockdown on my plastic pile has faded. Not only does painting time still seem hard to make, but self-medicating my mental health by buying models has made things even worse. So, some months before the publication of this update, I found myself needing to paint a dozen knights and two cannon in time for the Clash of Kings in October.

How not to be seen

Private N. E. Seagoon of the 4th Armoured Thunderboxes has presented us with a poser: we do not know which tree he is behind, but we can soon find out.

Yes, it was the middle one.

No Scrubs

After the somewhat ironic title (I've finished quite a few bits of scrub) I hereby present part one of my painting progress.

Marauders marauding amongst 20mm scale scrub.

Slaves to Dorkness

I think my favourite strategy for getting stuff painted is to have four or five projects on the painting table at once, so that the desire to avoid painting one of them spurs you to paint another. Here is a case in point, I've started re-painting my chaos warriors (the first models I ever owned) for use in a future Kings of War army.

Re-painted Chaos warriors, now back in bold, bright colours with little regard for artistic coherence. Just as they should be. Flash used.

Mordheim: City of the Damp

I am very fortunate that the Wolverhampton housemate crew, including Merlin and Matt, have started up a Mordheim campaign and I was only too pleased to stick my oar in. One fateful day in August we managed two battles AND stayed up until 4 am doing the post-battle admin. Now why can't I give that sort of passion to my real job?

The set-up for game one. Didn't get any pics of the second one, sorry.

Almost, But Not Quite

Today's theme is that I have a lot of models that are almost finished, but there remain important details which should not be left undone. Such as the basing.
 

Perry-sculpted GW Lord of the Rings elves, featuring conversion wielding a spear. I've just realised that I forgot to do the mail on the armpits in a steel-tone (hence the title).

ANGRY BEAVERS

I REGRET NONE OF THIS

The beavers in question. Sold by Bad Squiddo Games, originally a North Star product

Trololol

I thought I had uploaded these chaps at an earlier stage of painting,

but I hadn't, so after goodness knows how many years, I've finally given the trolls of my early years a good paintjob.

Fresh from their parent's basements, the trolls roam the land in search of mountain dew to drink and insulting comments to add to forum threads

The Bishop! (part two)

Today's update features some almost-but-not-quite-finished models. I'll be varnishing them tomorrow, but I thought some work in progress stuff was overdue.

Ok Devious, don't move!

Honour the Dragon

Well, the models that I posted as works-in-progress have now been finished, based and varnished. Here they are for your dubious pleasure.

A 'Lance' (squad) of House Kurita Battle'Mechs

A Night on Bare-Metal Mountain

This week I moved to a different provincial city because of work, and must suffer much reduced painting space and time for the next four years. I therefore present a sample of my work from the last few months, which you will note contains only four finished figures (and their bases aren't quite done yet either.)

Left: two peasants from Gripping Beast's civilians range. Right, two Games Workshop marauders from the 90's
Notice how I post the nice 'finished' pic first...

The Saga of Brynhild Wolf-Daughter

Had a game of Warhammer Fantasy with a friend, Yung Payne, last month and I've finally got round to writing up the report! The title comes from my (Wo)man of the Match, who performed far better than my actual General...

The armies line up for Battle as Yung Payne makes some last minute adjustments to his list.

Bargain Basement End Times (Part III: Finale)

We left our previous instalment as the infantry of both sides were poised to clash in the centre of the field. The Dwarves (in defiance of conventional logic) have managed to charge both units of chaos warriors: One caught unexpectedly by pursuit of fleeing skirmishers, the other held in place by magic for the perfect counter-blow.

The Rune of Slowness borne by the hammerers barely prevents my warriors from charging, allowing the Dwarves to seize the initiative. Things start to fall apart for the Hordes of Chaos

Bargain Basement End Times (Part II)

We leave the Chaos Knights in their poorly-positioned slaughter and Lord Heckled Allbrass' confused attempts to goad the trolls into charging distance, and turn to Duke Rollo the Northman and his knights...

The brightly coloured blob near the centre is the Normans charging the Ironbreaker Sheildwall

Bargain-Basement end times (Part I)

The armies stood silently at either end of the plain, silhouetted in the pre-dawn gloom. Every eye was fixed  on the figures between the armies. The first stood taller than any mortal man, wearing a cascade of bronze scales as if it were a simple robe. He inclined his head to his opposite number: A stalwart dwarf born  upon a shield by his bodyguard. The dwarf spoke thusly: "What's happened to Archaon then? Couldn't make his own End Times?"

"He's off sick with the 'flu. What about Valthern?"

"He double booked. He's off fighting Nagash in the next valley over."

Both ersatz champions shuffled their feet. This was how the world ended, not with a bang but a whimper...

Here are a bunch of Dwarfs that all look identical because I'm rubbish at taking photos. Crossbows and cannons on the right, assorted Axe-wielders on the left. Hammerers plus General in the middle.

Review: Conquest Games Plastic Norman Cavalry and Infantry

As promised, here are some product reviews to alleviate the boredom of waiting for me to paint dozens of similar figures. 

A selection of assembled foot models. I only recently restrained myself from sticking on the shields before painting: it makes the whole process less fiddly.

From Russia with Models

Hello again, dear readers! Another update promised 'tomorrow', another update arriving many weeks later. Are you surprised? No! Will this happen again? Yes! Anyway, on with the blog!

Having measured these chaps, I am pleased to confirm my suspicion that they're 15 mm.

Ups and Browns

I'm sitting on about three posts worth of updates at present, so time to start clearing the backlog.

First off, I have decided to break my painting down, by painting enough models for a saga warband, then enough for a small game of warhammer, etc.etc. I have also discovered a nearby-ish wargaming club which I shall poke my nose in when time and painted figures allow.

Crusader horsies looking lovely.

Compulsory Post Christmas Bragging.

Yes! Like all bloggers (although a little later than most... blasted work) I must regale you with tales of how my parents are better than yours. Well done Mater et Pater for correctly interpreting the subtle hints I gave: two boxes of knights and one of infantry is on the edge of over-generosity in my book.

Caption competition: Can YOU think of something amusing for this size comparison image?

Brown brown everywhere ner any a drop to drink.

Apologies for the lack of posts, silly things like 'work' and 'socialising' are getting in the way of important things like Shed Time. Nonetheless, I sneaked a few hours the weekend before last, and painted some things brown.

First on the agenda were the bowmen, who now sport basecoats of skin and leather (scorched brown, a colour which goes under most things it seems...) All of them are going to be white, but I might try to get variations of skin tone, and not use the same browns on all of them.

Still not sure about the trousers. They don't really have any raised bits for highlights.