Two posts in two days? What the what?

I can hardly believe it myself. Despite the lack of activity here, I have actually painted a model or two over the last 2 years but, as good as I am at starting projects, I am terrible and finishing them. Even when I set myself a very modest goal, it often remains unfinished and not worth posting here. 

But apparently the answer is to set smaller goals. Literally. So here are the models from a single Plague sprue from Mantic's Epic Warpath, something I got from this year's Salute. I do actually have an Enforcer core army box for the game and some reinforcements, but I wanted to test the waters with something I wouldn't be too bothered by if I ruined it.

For a job that was mostly Contrast paints, I'm pretty happy with the results.

I deliberately didnt bother filling in the gaps around the bases because I like the way it makes them look like models in a movement tray. Not sure I will do the same for my Enforcers.. if I ever paint them, that is!

Have Time, Will Paint

One of the many (many) projects that I have had on my desk for the last year are a set of rocks - two sets, actually - that I wanted to have painted up for use as scatter terrain. Because the sets had three different styles between them, I had the idea to paint them up for different terrain types. The desert and ice rocks came together quickly but the woodlandy rocks have been in a partially undercoated state long enough that I had to wash the dust off them before I could finish priming them.

But with the four day weekend, some good light and the right mood, things aligned so that I could finally get them finished.

..of course, I probably don't have enough icy rocks for scatter terrain for a game of Frostgrave and I certainly don't have enough rocks for Fallout or Dracula's America so I will probably have to get some more. Mind you, I forgot to write down any of the paints I used.. 

Also..

I realised that I actually painted a few other random things this year, including..

This platform from TTCombat (to go with my Mars terrain). This made it into the "hurry up and paint it" list because it is large, flat and made from MDF and thus guaranteed to warp in my cold, damp office. 

These HeroQuest orcs. The scheme is fast and simple. The cleaning up of the miniatures to paint them? Not so much.

... and Mr Spooky Mans, who I painted late last year for a MESBG Battle Companies campaign. In retrospect it would have looked better (and brighter) if I had used a single coat of a contrast paint over white instead of doing multiple washes and a drybrush highlight..

Frostgrave. How seasonal!

It is hard to believe that the first edition of Frostgrave came out over seven freaking years ago. As someone who backed the Necromunda horse when it first came out and thus couldn't afford to jump in on Mordheim when it was released a few years later, Frostgrave was the more approachable and in-print alternative that I had been waiting for.

I rushed out and purchased a dozen or so metal figures from a variety of manufacturers to make my first warband and promptly.. never painted them. I have wanted a nicely painted warband ever since but with my glacial painting speeds, it was never going to happen.

By the time 2nd edition came out a scant two years ago, I was starting to suspect that a nicely painted warband was no longer within my ability. Accepting that, I naturally.. started a brand new warband. This one featured the easier to paint and cheaper-to-replace-when-I-screw-them-up Frostgrave plastics. By July 2021, I had managed to paint.. two horses. And not only are they from an optional supplement, you can only take one! 

But fast forward a year (and a bit) later and I have actually managed to finish the rest of the models! That's like.. almost a model a month! Madness. I would like to thank my diminishing ability and eyesight for making this happen. Agonising for months over a single model and producing a B- of a paint job is no longer an option; a one month C- job is now all I can manage. So.. er.. yay? 

In the front row we have Lyra the apprentice, Ranald the Artificer and Captain Graves.

The trio on the left is an infantrywoman and two thugs, while on the right we have another thug, a thief, an infantrywoman and a crossbowman.

Finally, bringing up the rear is a low level version of Artemis (the Captain's horse), the higher level version of Artemis (featuring a mounted version of Captain Graves) and my large construct, Rowdy. If I ever find a medium construct miniature I like then I may add one to the warband.. but otherwise the Ranald's Expedition is finally ready to go! 

September Sun

September is a tricky month. The kids go back to school (or if you are reading this in the future and are currently enjoying Covid-22, maybe they don't) but you can't appreciate it because you are still paying for that time off work you had over the summer.

The days are cold in the morning but still bright and warm in the afternoon, and for about half the month you still have some daylight in the evenings to get things done. And then autumn sneaks in, the rain comes back and you are soon huddled around a fire by 6pm, waiting for the wolves to come and eat you.

When it comes to tackling projects in my hobby closest, I normally need to wait for the perfect storm of need, desire, enthusiasm, time, materials and space in order for that project to miraculously transition from "Something I will do one day" to "Holy cow it is done!". But in September, all of those things can be substituted for desperation.

And so here are some trees, designed to match the mat I will use for Fallout and Gamma Wolves. And some billboards, also for Fallout, though now that I have painted them I've decided I will put them on bases so they aren't really complete. Now that It Is Dark Again, they may not be completed until 2022!

The trees are Woodland Scenic armatures stuck to MDF bases covered in sanded polystyrene and Sculptamold. I messed that up by making too much, so while two of the tree bases are relatively smooth, the other two ended up being clumpy and difficult to work with because it was drying by the time I applied it. I will make it in smaller batches next time so hopefully I will avoid the same mistake.

Also shown is the base for one of my Gamma Wolves frames because I wanted to make sure the colours and style of the tree bases matched. The images I used on the billboards are by Charlie Wilcher and I found them at his ArtStation page here. 

Not-cromorphs

I have wanted some necromorph models for ages and I think that started when I got my copy of Sedition Wars. I guess I was hoping that some day, a company would get the license to make an official Dead Space game and then I wouldn't have to make something myself.

However, with Quarrantine 37 due for release in a couple of weeks, I realised I was going to need some space zombies.. and while I already have a bunch of the Mantic plague zombies and the Virus-inspired Strain from Sedition Wars, I figured now was as good a time as any to cross another project off the list.

Made from a mixture of Deadzone plague zombies, Kings of War zombies and Kings of War Nightstalker Reapers, these are neither well converted nor well painted.. but in a first for me, when I sat back and looked at them, I decided "Eh, they'll do". I guess it was because I didn't plan to do anything else with the kits so it didn't feel like I was wasting or devaluing them by cutting them up and covering them with paint. 

Also included is a KoW objective marker and a Xenomoth from Zombicide Invader (boy I wish you could buy those separately). 

Now I just need to make a Bloater or two and I should have everything I need for Quarantine 37. Well, perhaps I need I new Engineer-themed crew as well.. 

Roh-butts

While I have not enjoyed painting miniatures over the last five years (coinciding with my declining ability to do the same), the recent Stargrave launch created the usual skirmish game dilemma for me; maybe this will be the game where I can get a basic roster of minis done before the first expansion drops and I fall too far behind. 

Of course, it has failed to happen dozens of times before and there was no reason to think Stargrave would really be the exception. Except.. well, this game has robots. And when a simple black primer and a heavy drybrush of GW Leadbelcher gets you 80% of the way there, I figured that even I could push a few 3D printed minis (from Anvil) over the finish line.

So here we have two Sentrabots (black primer, GW Leadbelcher drybrush, GW Agrax wash, deliberately thin coat of Vallejo Insignia White and P3 Khador Red Highlight).. 

..plus two "Gunner" droids for my actual crew, R1C0 and M0X1. Primer, drybrush, P3 Coal Black / GW Mephiston Red, GW Nuln oil wash and a single highlight. Really pushing the boat out! 

..and finally a Warbot. It gets up to three shots. This gun has three barrels. That works for me. I also went a bit crazy with this one and came dangerously close to proper painting. And then I had to have a cup of tea and a lie down.

Primer, drybrush, P3 Greatcoat Grey, nuln oil.. and then I thought I'd try out one of those Army Painter makeup style drybrushes and I was mightily impressed with the results on the big armour plates. 50% Greatcoat Grey and AP Fog Grey, then pure Fog Grey, then 50% Fog Grey and Vallejo Insignia White. The chest area got an extra helping of the off-white drybrush to prepare it for the yellow, which was just GW Iyanden Yellow contrast straight over the pale blue.

The rust effect was me painting on pure Vallejo Mahogany, panicking and dabbing on some random black and dark brown to tone down the red! 

How many panels is enough? Always one more than you have!

Progress! I burned through another sheet of plasticard (okay, two) but made some exterior panels, as well as some small vertical panels for the ends of the corridors..

This gave me the level of interior detail I was hoping for, without protruding too much from the walls to make model movement difficult (of course, the actual rooms themselves is another story). I painted them up and fitted them in place, then followed Tom Schadle's colour scheme for the Warsenal Cosmica terrain - more or less - since the base colour of orange and white is what Antenocitis use on their own pre-coloured Forward Base set.

..and here it is, finally finished!

Green Stuff, Green Minis, not painting things Green

So no gaming yesterday because there was babysitting to do, however I did get to spend an hour painting. I wasn't quite ready to start tackling my Bauhaus force yet.. mostly because there were still a few gaps to fill before I put on the base coat, so instead I decided to do something about all that resin grey scatter scenery I have.

After debating what color to spray my Spartan Scenics mess hall benches, I resisted the urge to paint them military green (mostly because I plan to put them on my Aliens corridor terrain one day) and instead painted them.. grey. Hm.

After a brief period where they looked like Picnic Tables In Spaaaaace, they are actually looking okay. Pics to follow.

This evening I broke open the new Super Dungeon Explore - Forgotten King box and the new minis (particularly the green enemy models) are fantastic. We played the Arcade mode this evening and the Royal Warden, Questing Knight and.. Centaur Chick battled their way through the first two tiles with ease before we ran out of time. Being able to play alongside my kids - instead of directing my minions against them as the Dark Consul - was great and although I need to double check a few of the rules, Arcade mode seems pretty solid.

I painted something else!

Actually I painted this back in March, but I've been trying to get a good photo setup to take pictures of the miniatures I'm not painting. Still not too happy with it (maybe I'll try a black background) and my camera doesn't give me a manual setting on the white balance.. but it's the least awful version yet!

I painted something!

So I had four goals during my 2 week summer "break" while my family were on holiday. Painting a character mini for my Monday night tabletop game was the first goal and the only one I really achieved. Here it is! Good job this isnt a Plog..