When white is not white and it isn’t alright

13/11/2013

The nearest thing I have come to painting today !

A “white door” ?

Same door with white undercoat (not even gloss)…Just goes to show the variation of pigmentation and how over time paint can absorb elements from the atmosphere such as bromine, and even tar from cigarette smoke (NB: I don’t smoke).

I’ve started so I’ll finish…the whole downstairs it might seem. The neareest I’ve come to painting anything. The Doomfire Warlocks are almost built so should post them later.

Providing I don’t paint any more Cats ! 😉

Filed under Painting, Uncategorized Tagged with ,

Where’s the painting ?

31/08/2013 3 Comments

As some of you should have noticed, no new painting from me for a bit.

There’s two reasons, or rather points to make about this.

First I’ve started the Hobgoblins:

As you can see they’re all unique poses (10+ poses in a single unit of 20). On top of that all the poses no matter how close are very varied in terms of equipment and style.

These figures were done back in 1984-1987, and were done well before mass Warhammer armies really came into vogue – they were more for RPGs when individual poses were more important. Since the 1990’s the sculptors have limited the poses to units and so you only get 4-5 poses for rank and files and they are very very similar. Which is great when it comes to building and painting units of troops because you can churn them out quickly.

So this isn’t going to happen:

Sounds like a spray can of orange, pick out details then blast with an army painter dark or mid brush on and then matt varnish…basing and done…c’mon crack on.

Too much details, too much variation. 😦

So I’ll be trying to do them as fast as possible, but that degrades the quality as I don’t have time to treat them as character figures.

As you can see I have a Dark Elf Witch Elf, and a british Mortar crew on the go as well. This is for variation

 

Next point brings us on to:

Rick Priestly as a veteran gamer and rules writer still involved in the hobby has had a go about the ever higher standards of painting in the hobby (historical and GW). Article is here.

Basically there’s an issue of how high standards are becoming for painting. Talking with some of the Byakhees this is also a concern for them. We have agreed that we aim for a wargaming standard, no great shakes. Some of us are able to do really good stuff but we’d prefer to field armies of troops (100-200 figures) rather than aim for perfection. This is also especially true as some of our group are not painters and have limited skills/experience.

So the question is how far do you go in getting the well painted figure ?
How far to you go to get an entire unit, or indeed army to field ?
Versus the perfection and variation of say characters figures ?

Filed under AVBCW, Warhammer Tagged with , , , ,

2013 Plans & Motivation

20/01/2013 3 Comments

On various chat forums the question has been asked as to what your plans are for 2013. I’ve certainly found keeping the painting log and this blog going a good incentive to actually carry out the plans I had each year. A quick chat with the local GW manager this morning also helped spur me to write this post, and to identify what 2013 will see in terms of buying, building, painting and playing with my toys.

For AVBCW:

  • Round out my BUF command units
  • Finish off the Cavalry
  • Add something odd for the BUF
  • Complete the MHC infantry and commands
  • Do their cavalry
  • Add a quirky unit for them, no idea what just yet.
  • Organise a Big Game in February (underway)
  • Play more games !

That way I have two complete armies for AVBCW: the BUF Three Counties Legion; and the quasi Royalist MHC.
Currently I will have to break through my painter’s block on the BUF cavalry. As I commented to JP last w/e, I really can’t stand the thought of painting more black, and more horse.

For Back of Beyond:

  • Finish of my White Cossack Cavalry (should be done by February)
  • Shock, Guard and Ragged Infantry to be painted
  • Command, HMG and field Guns to be finished to round out the equivalent of two armies
  • Similarly finish off Chinese army with support and command units
  • Similarly my Mongols could do with a few more elements to their army
  • Complete at least one of every armoured car and tank model I have (yeah the second armoured vehicle park I have)
  • Organise a Big Game !

This should give me a total of 3 White armies to mix and match, a Chinese and a Mongolian army. I’d like to say I’d start my Reds and British-Indian armies but lets not get too hasty !

For Laserburn:

  • More infantry and characters – I struggle to furnish 3 gangs with appropriate figures, so I’ll take a swipe at this
  • A few more vehicles
  • Some emplacements and heavy weapons
  • A few more quick wins on the scenery front – buildings
  • Play at least 3 games in one year !

I’d like to see JP’s scenery in a game.

For Warhammer:

  • The Completion of the last couple of DE Infantry units
  • Chariots with heroes
  • Monsters ridden by heroes
  • More Cold One Knights
  • Start a new Army….could it be Dwarves, Hobgoblins or Amazons… ?

This emphasis on heroes will mean a lot of more detailed painting, which should offset the khaki hue of AVBCW and BoB. I hope. This should complete my DE army and I’ll have to take a panoramic photo of it as it will include c200 infantry, c80 cavalry and much more besides !

General:

  • Tidy up the play room
  • Paint and deploy the detritus I find !
  • Sell the rest
  • Continue this blog !

I aim to break the 3,000 figures painted barrier mid year, which with all the other painted figures I have should take me to well over 4,000 painted figures which will be nice.

Maybe someday I’ll get to the AWI project that is stacked up !

Share your plans for 2013 and we can see how we progress.
🙂

Motivation

Well so along with the paint log, and the manifesto outlined above, what else am I going to keep myself motivated in 2013 to churn out a precession of hopefully well painted (to wargames standard) miniatures ? Well the GW store manager also invited me to take part in his store’s monthly painting contest which is not about perfection (allegedly) but about novelty and getting people to paint stuff. The Carnosaur (upcoming) is probably not my best paint job its sufficient for the odd times it will come out, but I think i might actually indulge in entering a competition for the first time. So I reckon I’ll use this as a chance to motivate myself to build and paint fully one of my DE heroes on mount – maybe a manticore as some of them are close to being ready for a lick of paint.

Somehow I’m guessing a non GW model won’t cut any ice in the competition.

Anyway this is an interesting idea, and I’d like to know what keep you motivated to build, paint and deploy models.

Is the use of blogs, and social media forums a good way of maintaining your motivation ?

Answers please.

🙂

Filed under 15mm Sci-Fi, AVBCW, Painting, RCW / BoB, Warhammer Tagged with , , , ,

Special Guest Superstar DJ: Witch Hunters

28/11/2012

A unit Byakhee Rich has been building, lots of conversions and general insanity – a Witch Hunter unit…

Aeterna Specula – “The Eternal Watchtower”

The pictures don’t do them justice !

The Brotherhood of the Eternal Watchtower scour Middenheim and the surrounding area looking for signs of heresy; for the Witch, the Beastman, the Skaven, the Goblin, the lawless, and bring them to Sigmar’s justice. They are a mixed bunch with varied backgrounds – some are devote Sigmarites, some follow Ulric; some are driven by a desire to do good, some by vengeance, some by their own personal daemons (not literally of course!). There are professional soldiers, former woodsmen, farmers, and bandits, and keen amateurs, drawn from near and far by the charisma of their founder and his lieutenants. All over the Drakwald their battle cry, “Nos sumos Aeterna Speculam!” will strike fear into the followers of Chaos.

The leader and founder of the Aeterna Speculam is Agis Wachturm, a stern, devout man with a steely gaze. He has been a Witch Hunter for 20 years or more, but he never talks about his previous life… As a young man, Agis was on watch duty in the rickety watch tower guarding his home village. It was a bitter cold night, and he had a little too much warming brandy, which meant he was asleep when Beastmen raided the village, razing it to the ground with as the militia stumbled half awake and unarmed from their beds. Agis was awakened by fire and screams, and watched the whole thing unfold from the burning tower. When the Beasts had left, he stumbled half-mad from the ruins and somehow made it to the next village where the local priest took him in. When he finally recovered his senses and confessed his guilt, he found himself filled with the courage to seek vengeance on all of Chaos’ followers…

Adan Dammerung was a novice priest when he heard one of Luthor Huss’ fiery sermons. With a sudden certainty he knew he wanted to follow a similar path. Indeed, such is his unbridled fury and faith in the face of Chaos that he causes them to flee before him! Unusually for a Sigmarite priest, he wields a sword along with the typical Warhammer. “Sometimes Chaos must be crushed outright, sometimes it is a canker that can be cut away from the soul”. Dammerung acts as confessor for the Brotherhood, and as such is party to all Agis’ secrets.

Warmund Kurz is a professional soldier who fought in the armies of Middenland. He joined up with the Aeterna Speculam after his regiment was all but wiped out in battle with Orc raiders. The battle was turned when the Brotherhood arrived on the scene, Agis shooting down the Orc Shaman with a runic bullet in each eye. Kurz had no qualms in signing up immediately, bringing a couple of experienced men with him. Kurz is certainly driven, but not a fanatic, and his cool head and military training have become a key to the ongoing success of the Aeterna Speculam as a genuine battlefield force rather than a rag tag band. Kurz likes to take the fight to an enemies’ champions, and eschews either helmet or Witch Hunter hat, after he almost lost a duel with a very tall Chaos Warrior because he couldn’t see his overhead blows coming down!

The Brotherhood has many other notable individuals:

  • Von Halbling, possibly the Empire’s only Halfling Witch Hunter
  • Rolf, Master of Hounds
  • Faustmann Kantor, the standard bearer who can recite hours of Sigmarite litany from memory
  • Hartwig and Horst, the slightly unhinged flagellant brothers
  • “Skully” Johannes, the alcoholic one-man-armoury who is never separated from his precious skull…

Bloddie Firestarterer, Dwarf Quartermaster, responsible for the two important resources of fire and gunpowder. Which is why he has a lamp, not a naked flame…

Filed under Mordheim, Painting, Warhammer Tagged with , , ,

Special Guest Superstar DJ: High Elves

22/11/2012 2 Comments

Here’s Stuart’s latest efforts – High Elves.

But they’re RED !

Stuart’s rationale:

Yes, the red scheme was because this is my third High Elf army I’ve painted and I couldn’t face all that blue and white again. I wanted to do something different and the same applies for the desert bases, I simply did them to match my tomb kings.

This army is a fund raiser for ebay so I can finally buy a ‘realm of battle’ gameboard but in the event that it does not sell I will find myself lumbered with another army (one I think my daughter has designs on) – so I might as well have one that matches my other collection.

I tried to paint this quickly and started in August. Always looking for a short cut I chose to sort out all the armour by use of a silver acrylic spray (Humbrol I think). This was then ‘hit’ with a black wash and a few highlights of mithril (or whatever it is called these days).

For the red I jumped with both feet on the GW ‘brand new paint range’ bandwagon and used Khorne Red (base), Carroburg Crimson (wash), Wazdakka red (layer 1) and good old Blood Red for the final highligh (layer 2). In some places where extra contrast was needed I mixed in a little orange for the brightest highlights.

The turquoise accent came from nowhere really. I originally thought about a green but it hurt my eyes! so turquoise it was. Nothing clever just Hawk Turqouise mixed with a little white.

Most of what you see is done with a GW large brush. It’s quick and I find if looked after that they hold their point quite well. As I was told at art college many years ago it is not the size of your brush that counts its the quality of the point – I am sure I have heard a similar quote elsewhere about something else somewhere…

A bit blurry this last picture, but it shows the same sort of ruined Arabyan head on the base, which as Stuart comments, helps tie it in thematically to his Tomb Kings.

There are some more pictures on Stuart’s Flikr account including the finished swordmasters

Filed under Painting, Warhammer Tagged with , , , , , , , ,