Sunday 23 December 2012

Pre-Christmas Updates

Hello Folks,

May I wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before anything else, and now onto the updates.

I have recently given out my Dice and Decks Gaming Club Secret Santa miniature - which I can now freely reveal as a Widowmaker Marksman for the Warmachine faction; Khador. This was a gift to fellow member, Rob, who was very happy to have the mini in his collection. I started it about a month and a half ago, but was unable to post any updates due to the possibilty of it's now owner realising what it was and who I was buying it for. 
The details I had to go on in terms of paint scheme offered me an interesting challenge, Rob's notes on the form from the challenge detailed a white Khador army as his colour scheme, but I wanted to obey this scheme and introduce the traditional Khador colour of bright red into the miniature. So where could I put the red without it taking interest away from the white that was too serve as the main colour on the model, so before I go any further, here's a couple of pictures that shows the partially finished model, and then the finished product as it was given over:
Three weeks ago.....

Last week...

In the end I decided since Khador is a northern and thus winter-covered area of the background world in Warmachine, I felt a marksman would require a white coat, which was also the biggest area of the model, as camouflage, so I painted this first, and then did the inside of the coat as Games Workshop snakebite leather. The red came into the painting when I decided to paint the armour that covers the Marksman's knees, shoulders, arms and torso. Whilst I left the legs as black motorcycle-style chaps with bleached bone coloured putees. The gun I was very happy with, starting with the boltgun metal that served as the basecoat on the barrel and the over-sized scope on the weapon, I then used devlan mud to darken the metal and shadow the particular components that made the weapon, such as the circular links that kept the barrel attached to the stock. The scope was done with a ultramarines blue basecoat, then I painted the half that was furtest away from the marksman in Ice Blue, before using skull white as a final highlight to make the scope look as though it was glass. All in all, I was very chuffed with the model, and would happily describe it as one of my a) favourites to paint jobs and b) one of my best paint jobs.

Next update, I've been busy, I have now got hold of three sets from the Kingdom of Britannia faction of Dystopian Legions.
I have assembled one rifle section, and the Sky Hussars, and the characters, both musicians are assembled, and one is completely finished, although there are no pictures of the fully finished version, but there are some work-in-progress pics. I have also finished two basic riflemen.
The now finished Musician from before today's progress

Rifleman 1 - without beard

Rifleman 2 - with beard

On Friday (21st Dec) I managed to play my first game, and won on surviving model's points, although the game was slow due to rules and so was not completed. I enjoyed the game, the rules work, and the game cards add a completely new to me tactic into the game.

And I have finished a Vietnam-era US sergeant, who was quite easy to paint, just got the rest of the platoon to do before a game can happen, oh, and find an opposing force...
The Sergeant has got hand-painted chevrons on his arms, but a picture was useless due to the effects of my varnish on the lighting.


I shall update with progress next weekend, as I am free to paint for the latter half of next week. Until then folks.....

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Some Recent Updates.

Well, it's been two weeks since I last updated, and so what has happened?

Well, I have been working on a miniature for Dice and Decks "secret santa" style swap. Which I cannot name or provide pictures for until after the 21st of December.
I have however, got pictures of a Sniper for Secrets of the Third Reich that I finished last week, I just need to varnish it and it's completely finished.
Front View

Back View
I used a Forge-World Warhammer 40k Horus Heresy Great Crusade Army list in a game against a fellow Dice and Decks gaming club member and lost, due to 6th Edition's killpoint system, but I did have the joy of deploying my Warhound Titan for the first time since I bought it nearly a year ago. It ended the game with some damage, but did cause mayhem amongst my opponents troops when it did get them, as it spent the first few turns sniping his tanks. He did try assaulting the Titan with his Chaos Lord and a squad of Chaos Marines, but they failed to do anything but hold it still for a turn or so...
The Titan with a squad of Chaos Marines attacking it.

The Chaos Lord tries to strike something important....
On Friday Square Orange Games once again honored Dice and Decks Club with it's presence, and I managed to get my hands on the box-set of Mantic Zombie Marines, which I have built a few of already, and have nearly managed to finish one of them;
One nearly-finished Zombie, ready to terrorise the table-top.
My birthday has passed, and one gift was a Dystopian Legions Kingdom of Brittania Infantry Section, which enabled me to have a proper look at the models for the first time. I am very impressed, the models are closer to 32mm Bushido models than they are 28mm models, and are highly detailed. There are 6 such models in the box, and I am highly anticipating this coming Friday when Square Orange once again visits to provide an order of the Firestorm Armada rulebook and a Dystopian Legions Kingdom of Brittania Starter Set and a set of Kingdom of Brittania Musicians.
The Dystopian Legions Kingdom of Brittania Infantry Section as it comes out of the box.
And for now this concludes my updates, but I imagine by the end of this coming weekend there will be more to post about, such as some 28mm Vietnam US Army Models I have finally got my hands on, but have not unboxed yet. Till next week readers....