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.....