Terrain and gaming

Yesterday a Chaos Warband attacked a travelling mercenary band moving through a graveyard district in outskirts of Mordheim. The Chaos force won the day, but the Tzeentch Sorcerer was slain in the heat of Battle while the Nurgle Blightkings delivered the final punch to drive the mortals away.

Using my newly made modular terrain I grapped 2 squares (2x2 foot x2) and together with my son and youngest daugther we arranged a few scenic bits to set the scene. Then we had a game over the board using my mordheim Reiklanders Warband agains a Chaos force picked from an old Tzeentch army (early 1999) and added some Blightkings and a Sigmarite Liberator. Gaming with my kids I let them decide on forces - this really makes them commit to the models with the dice begin to roll.

We used a simplified Mordheim rules set - I decided the dice-rolls and number of life-points for each models. We have played a few times before, but this was the first on proper terrain. For next time I want to try out the Age of Sigmar game mechanics. I plan to prepare statsheets for each group - just by printing the PDF and cutting the paper to a nice size to keep at the board and reference during gaming to the kids learn to control their own models. Should be good! The terrain really made the game fun and dramatic - it looked really cool and definately made the children engage more in the game.

Harlequin Shadowseer

My travellings into the magical domain of the Eldar race took off in Spring when I joined the Invitational at the Iron Sleet blog back in Spring. Now I have worked on, developing the language of this sinister and mysterious race further. Fittingly, my recent Harlequin model, the Shadowseer, was posted on the Iron Sleet earlier today. The Iron Sleet crew have been doing Eldar interpretations the past month, so obviously the inspiration has been flowing back and forth bringing drive and enthusiasm. Thanks. And let's create some more!

Eldar army on Terrain

Lately I have been working on a 4x4 foot modular terrain set. This morning I added the flock (1 main type and 3 other types in patches for variation). Classic old-school fantasy, but I will be customizing it towards 40K or fantasy with detail elements that I will build later. First up, an army shot of my small Eldar force.

Intermezzo: a Nurgle Plaquebearer

 About a month back I prepped a standard model on a Thursday evening and had a nice 2-3 hours painting session on the Friday evening. My favorite kind of miniature painting. Start and finish during the same painting session. Like cooking a great meal and then sitting down to enjoy the food! Nice!

Inspired but the great adventures of David Soper on Sproket's Small World picked a Plaguebearer for the session. Great fun to just work back and forth with the skifting skin colours.

Eldar Farseer

Done. I want to move on to other miniatures. The Object Source Lighting on the spell-casting hand was fun and challenging to do, but I think it works alright. Would probably be better with a darker themed base. Anyway, that is the base theme for my little army and that is where he will go.

It would be fun to do this model with a muted wood-elves style colour scheme without red, but using various shades of green, blue-green gems, and the odd grey black and brown details...

WIP images: Eldar Farseer

Not finished yet, and I already want to paint this model again...

I still have runes and borders on robes and cloak left to do before I will call him finished...

Harlequin trooper

Finished this mini last week. The colours for the Troupe will be yellow, white and black. Will try and get less white on the next one. I have a handful more of the classic metal models plus the Death Jester painted in Spring. And I just bought myself the new plastic Shadow Seer. Ace!

WIP: 5 AoS Liberators

5 Liberators on the go...

I am trying to do these without too much fuss and perfection. Just want to get some model done so I can have a go with the new rules.

However, I am debating whether the shields and shoulders should be white or a light blue-green...
I like the idea of the black hammer and lightning heraldry since it gives a very strong and graphic result.

Age of Sigmar Liberator - Boba Fett-style

Last week I got an idea. To paint up a Sigmarite Warrior in the vivid colours of the all-time favorite mercenary; Boba Fett. So here goes.

A week has passed and I have had about 5 short painting sessions during the week. Really fun and also challenging to work with all these colours. It might not be completely right, but I am really pleased with the overall look.

My first Age of Sigmar model: Stormcast Procecutor

Alright - radio silence over. I have bought the Age of Sigmar box. And I really enjoyed getting the box in my hands, looking at the artwork, and feeling the weight of the content. I loved opening the box and admiring the sprues, and felt quite excited going through the rules and background. I am all-in on this IP-reboot. I loved the old World, but this direction looks really promising! So, over a few evening I have built and painted my first Age of Sigmar model; a Stormcast Eternals Procecutor:

Great model. Fun to paint and very crisp. I was trying to do a really ancient-looking gold on the armour revisiting my metallic technique from around 2002-2005 and then cutting corners on other parts such as belt details and the scrolls. The parchments are acually just washed over the white primer and then finished with edge-highlight. The base was done using the process from my Eldar Army. However, the warm hue of these bases might be a bit too much for this style of metallics. Oh well, first model done. On to the next.

I am not sure if I want to do and army. Yet. First I feel like trying out a few colour schemes, before committing for the whole army. Then I want the army...

Chaos Champion of Tzeentch, WIP #3

Alright. Almost there. And then again I really have trouble with the robes. Maybe that knife also could benefit from a little extra. Adding static grass to the base after posting this, and then next session will be about adding those extra final touches to make him work...

Chaos Champion of Tzeentch, WIP #2

As mentioned, the face got some more colour and contrast worked into it...
Next up is finishing the belt and pouches, then the feathers (what colour?!).
After that I will do the base, and finally rework the robes...

Chaos Champion of Tzeentch, WIP #1

First images of the next old-school project. Another Chaos Champion. Now a follower of Tzeentch:

Instead of describing colours or writing them down, I am starting just to snap a photo of the colours involved in a certain area. So here we have the colours used for the robes. Actually, now, I am working my way over the area with another colour, but the general idea of just having an image of the paints used on a piece appeals to me. Then, if I need to get back to the colour I know where to start, but will have remember or just dinve in an improvise with the colours as the starting point.

After some work on the robes I am moving onto the skin and head to end the painting session with some nice details. Cool figure so far...

Minis: Oldhammer vs. new über-cool plastics?

The recent painting of a Chaos Champion designed by Jes Goodwin back in 1988 sparked my thoughts about miniatures in general. Quality, material, complexity. Lots of things popped up and it happens every time I paint something old school. "It would be so cool to see all the classic models from the late 1980s painted up". And it probably would. But at the same time I would mean passing on painting the new über-cool plastics that GW has been putting out there these past years.

Actually, in recent years my passion has taken me back to the classic models from around 1990, but then my passion also takes me up to the new stuff to paint more awsome plastic models. These new plastic character packs are just fantastic. I have made 2 versions of the Nurgle Lord (A daemonhost and a bodyguard), and recently bought a 3rd model to have another go at some time.

But what makes a model classic like those Chaos Champions from 1988?
To me, the great thing about these models is that they have a clear facing, the details are good, and I like the overall imagery. Since these miniatures are traditional metal models cast in 2-part rubber moulds they are relatively simple in regards to composition and details. And they are quite fast to clean up and get ready for painting.

But when you compare them to the new plastic character packs you can really see and appreciate how design and production technology has moved on. The details on these new plastics are not just "good" - the details are awsome and super-crisp. Mould lines are many, but relatively easy to clean - and some are simply hidden naturally when the model is put together. The composition can be complex, but it isn't by default though. The already mentioned Nurgle lord is a good example of a crisp and nicely designed model, that is not complex when first put together. In many ways, the simple pose gestures back the classic metal models by Jes. Another great model is the Wight King which I used for a conversion a few years back. Complex yes - with nice overhanging details, and some clever work arranging the parts on the sprue, but simply striking when it comes to composition.

I recently purchased the Skink Priest plastic kit which has seen some pretty amazing paintjobs these past years and I also want to have a go at this fellow. This one has a lot of nitty-gritty detailing and feathers poking here and there - but I look forward to getting to work on the model. It is just going to take a little more time to prep the miniature properly. At least compared the the oldhammer metal models, but then again I will not have any trouble when the painting starts, since the details are great and litteraly helping the brush to find it's mark. This is a remarkable difference; The old school models might be quick to get ready, but the superb detailling in the new plastic models really makes up for the longer preparation time when you start painting.

So there you have it: I love the old models and I can accept the quality of the metal models since I get to do a quick paintjob and have the nostalgia-kick of painting these classics. One the other hand, I really like the experience of painting the new kits, since the models are so well-designed as both sculptures in their own right and as surfaced made for the painting.

If Jes could decide my next painting project I wonder which of his models he would ask me to do...

Chaos Champion of Slaanesh, finished

 Just about done. For now at least. Great fun to paint building up the colours and working those purple and magenta tones into the model.

Chaos Champion of Slaanesh, WIP

Work in progress - almost there, actually. Still the base to do.

Vallejo Model Color Transparent Red mixed into most colours and areas...

Henchman painted - and exploring

I painted this henchman really fast the other night and did a simple photo-setup last night. The image came out too dark, but a quick auto-contrast sloved this one easily. Fun to paint, not perfect to technical standards, but gritty and dark. I need to do more of these fast-paced models.

Painting the model I was reminded og the strong but simple colour schemes that Mike Anderson used to do all the time. He has done some awsome models with a subtle grey/black being the main part of the palette.

A break from the Eldar / A henchman primed up

I am taking a break from the Eldar army, so I primed this sinister character last night. This is going to be a quick and refreshing paintjob. The Eldar are hard to paint. I guess it is mostly due to my own standards and expectations, but anyway, Eldar always has been a painter's army I think. Especially coming back to finishing Dire Avengers and Wraithguard troops after having gone to town on the Death Jester was giving me a hard time. But the units are almost done, and I feel I am take them for a test game soon to get into that as well. Now, however, I will do a gritty character that I have had around for about a year. The big question is if he will join a Mordheim warband or hang out with my Inquisitor retinues...

Wraithguard, WIP #2

Almost there. Just need a second layer of paint on the heads. Some touch up work. And possibly a symbol on the heads at a later stage...

Wraithguard, WIP #1

Fast-paced army painting...

Eldar Vyper

Decided to get this one finished quickly the other night.

I guess I had already done about 60% of the work, but I had got stuck with some undecided areas. Well, picking up work on the model I took some quick decisions, and then it was crunch-time painting away for about 2½ hours. Done. The goal was to have to levitate off centre on the base, and I think it works alright. I probably should go back and paint some of the gems in purple/magenta and add proper highlights, but for now it is about getting this small army to grow... Better photos would probably also be nice.

Death Jester, WIP #2

Almost there. I have started taking pictures as a technique to look for mistakes and final details for improvement, so I will not say that he is done yet. Pretty close though...

 

I think the waystone on the ribcage armour needs to be painted purple as the gems on the gun... And maybe the blue gem should go purple also... Definately some slightly starker shading in the grills on the helmet, red/purple I think. The brown pants could do with a bit of jazz also... Anything else?

I am really happy with the way the gun looks, and also the yellow came out very much like I envisioned it.

Death Jester, WIP #1

I have been painting this guy over the past few evenings. A fantastic miniature kit.

I am going for a yellow/purple colour scheme. So the yellow part of the jacket is actually going to be a lot more vibrant, but I have yet to come to that part of the model. I consider the shuriken blaster done for now, but a lof the areas are very close, but not completely done in this image...

I hope to have him done by the end of the week.

INVITATIONAL - teaser

It is just about to begin...
www.ironsleet.com will be the place to be the next week or so.
Exciting times...

Eldar Runes Explorations

A series of quick explorations to find a rune design for my Eldar army.

 Will be used as black linework on white surfaces and as white linework on red surfaces. I think.
I have picked a favorite - actually with my children making decisions in the design process - but I will not tell which one we picked just yet...

INVITATIONAL - WIP

Not much time left to work on these. I am saving the colour images for the final post on the ironsleet-site when the event closes. But not I have this B&W image to show.

Both my wife and my eldest daughter have given some input though: The colour for the head of the wraithguard must change...

Awsome photo tutorial on Iron Sleet

If you have not read the simple but brilliant photo tutorial posted on ironsleet.com I suggest you visit theier site and take a look. I tried out the technique last week and the results were great. Here is the test subject, Ragnar Blackmane:

Worked on this big bad wolf last week for a special occation.
This week it is back to the eldar for the INVITATIONAL project.

The 4gotowar-blog on a charity mission

Good web-sphere friend and fellow grim-dark minipainter, Henry South, is doing charity fundraising to raise fonds for the Alzheimer's Society.

Check out his page for more info:
www.4gotowar.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/win-my-blanchjitsu-models.html/

...or go directly to the fundraising site:https://www.justgiving.com/modelsForTerry/

Apart from this Henry runs an awsome blog and have painted some fantastic models over the years.
Go check it out!

WIP - Dire Avengers' weapons

So, with the INVITATIONAL project I am doing not only the 3 models required for the challenge from the ironsleet-crew, but actually starting an army. A Dire Avenger trooper is one of my model for the challenge but I am actually doing the whole squad now. 

My overall plan for my Eldar army is to have a colour scheme of white wraithbone armour, bold bright red for helmets and decorative areas (sashes, gems) and with black weapons. I have chosen these colour to go bright and light - and at the same time it corresponds nicely with the strong classic colour scheme that I favour. I want these models to really stand out on a gaming table.

However, the colours for the Dire Avengers are reversed having white helmets, bluish black armour and a red/black pattern on the hemlet crest. That leaves the weapons that should be black (according to my colour scheme), but this gets a little tricky because of the dark armour.

Thus, I tried out several ways of painting the shuriken catapult:

Left to right:

1. Exarch - no shuriken catapult.
2. Copper with a chaos black wash. Finish off with a light drybrush of copper.
3. Bone + white for basecolour. Shading using Vallejo Model Color Burnt cad. Red mixed with Army Painter jumpsuit shader (a red wash). Highlights with white.
4. Black base colour. Edge highlights using GW Dwarf flesh with a bit of magenta ink. Followed by a stipple of black (dupped on with a sponge), and final highlights with white.
5. Copper mixed with Army painter orange (Prison jumpsuit). Shading using Vallejo Model Color Burnt cad. Red mixed with Army Painter jumpsuit shader (a red wash). Highlights adding white to the basecolour.

As you can see I also explored different base edge colours but have since this settled for classic black, which might go high gloss black. Not sure yet, but black is decided at least.

INVITATIONAL - part 1

Back in January I was invited to join with the IRONSLEET-crew and a few others on a project about creating miniatures with focus on scale and bases. These are the words and images for my first contribution to the INVITATIONAL:

The past years I have been investigating the 40K universe mainly from the side of the imperium. Various characters from inquisitors and their bodyguards to thugs and other hired guns. But I never really focussed on building an army. My contribution to the INVITATIONAL is my first take at starting an army for 40K. And while I love the dystopia that is the Imperium I have also always loved the elegant and iconic Eldar range.

So my approach for the INVITATIONAL is more about getting into the game and building an army, than creating fluff. But I believe the fluff will follow, when I delve into painting and gaming with my eldar force. I ahve already had a first test game with a local friend. This is so different to WFB!

For the INVITATIONAL my three different models will be a Dire Avenger warrior, a Wraithguard, and a Vyper. All will be on a warm dessert-style base with slate rock. Quite basic - but basics are important when planning to build a whole army. It can easily get too complicated, which will slow the progress of the army.

So far I have built the Dire Avengers, the Vyper and I also have a war walker kicking about. The Wraithguard are on their way, so I will have to build these and paint them during the next few weeks. So plenty of stuff to do, but I am really looking forward to it.

Interview and a Scion Captain

A comment to go with the picture first: A Scion Captain that I have worked on over about a months time. I put him into some terrain to get nice field-action feeling in the photo. Regarding the Scion box the current score is 2 down, 3 to go. And I also got myself some Eldar the other week... Oh well...

Onto the interview part of the topic headline. Tyler of Mengel Miniatures wrote me about 3 months ago if I would do an interview. The interview was published on his website last week and I really think he put down some good questions. So if you want to have a read, then head over to Tyler's website: Mengel Miniatures.

Garden of Morr - WIP #1

Started working on some terrain. So far I am well underway doing the Garden of Moor and have started a tower. When assembled terrain is awsome to do. It does not have to be that precise, there is a lot of drybrushing and washing, and it really enhances your minis. I really look forward to having these first terrain pieces finished and do some miniature photography in the new setting.

Iron Sleet

2015. A new year and an interesting change on the blog sphere.
You probably have see it already, but if you are late to the party a few friends and fellow miniature bloggers have teamed up to persue a common goal: Grim-Dark visions of 40K miniatures and imagery.

Legion of Plastic and the Spiky Rat Pack has joined forces and will now present their project on a singular site. Alright, no more talk. Here is the link:

www.ironsleet.com

Enjoy. It already looks quite promising.