Warlords of Erehwon - Troll (Nick)

Another change of tack from me, all part of the joys of 'paint on brush' every day - this time a fantasy troll from Macrocosm and pure coincidence that it follows on immediately after Carl's Blood Bowl troll!
This chap was part of a bargain bag job lot I picked up at the last Salute to take place almost 2 years ago now, before the COVID pandemic intervened.

Mainly Citadel Contrast Paints again, with additional acrylics and inks for the details... in fact the skin colour is just Gryph-Charger Grey over white primer so quite quick overall which isn't a bad thing when I've another fourteen of them to do!

Originally heading for a goblin warband full of gribblies in Warlords of Erehwon from Warlord Games that I helped to playtest with the author Rick Priestly, but could easily see service in SAGA: Age of Magic from Studio Tomahawk, Dragon Rampant (a fantasy version of Lion Rampant) by Osprey Publishing, maybe even some large battle games like Oathmark, again by Osprey Publishing or Kings of War by Mantic Games.

Blood Bowl - Troll (Carl)

Finished another old Blood Bowl model this week. A second edition Troll, with a slight repositioning of the left arm. The model has lain primed but chipped and battered in the WiP box for literally years.

So a quick rebase to a 32mm round, along with repriming with GW's Corax White and I've finally given the model a paint job.

The basing is done with GW's Technical Paint Stirland Battlemire which I can only surmise is made up of sand, PVA and paint. It's a quick way to texture a base but I think I prefer my usual approach of wall filler applied with a sculpting tool. I'll use up the technical paint on my Blood Bowl bases but don't think I'll be in a hurry to buy any more. It's good if you're in a hurry (I can imagine this approach being fantastic for last minute tournament preparation) but I'm generally fairly laid back with regards getting stuff painted so see no need for that particular time saver.

The glossy areas on the base are Green Stuff World's UV Resin (I got mine in the UK from Eureka Miniatures UK). It produces a very good water effect.

I've noticed with my last few posts that my phone camera really does kill the graduations between colours on models. Might have to try the 'proper' camera next time.

Chosen Men - 95th Rifleman (Nick)

Finally my first British rifleman of the the infamous 95th Rifles, as featured in the Sharpe novels and TV series as well as the cover of the Chosen Men rules by Osprey Publishing - figure is again from Warlord Games, a metal sample this time from the 95th Rifles - Chosen Men box set.

Unlike the bright colours of the previous redcoat, I chose to paint over a black primer this time as nearly everything is black or black/green (at the time of starting some time ago I also wanted a more traditional style of painting as I was struggling to get satisfactory results using the Contrast paints).

In the end it is a brighter green than is 'realistic' but very dark green just looks black at a distance on the tabletop and I really wanted to be able to distinguish those green jackets - the same would apply to the dark blue of any French Voltigeurs (much like the WFR light infantry officer I painted last year)

Hopefully now I've got the first test figures done for both light infantry and rifles it should be much quicker painting the rest of each unit ready for some small games of either Chosen Men or Sharp Practice - possibly even the forthcoming Shakos and Bayonets supplement for Muskets & Tomahawks by Studio Tomahawk.

Blood Bowl - Goblin Fanatic (Carl)

I fell off the 'paint on brush' horse a few weeks back, the week or two prior to that saw only the bare minimum activity too. Since then I've had a couple of failed attempts to get back on horse and start building the painting momentum again but to no avail. But that changed this weekend.

I signed up to join a tabletop Blood Bowl league which, if vaccines and covid cases allow, should start in July. My go to team for Blood Bowl has always been Orcs, but the one wrinkle that gave me pause this time around is that the new edition doesn't have secret weapons in the Orc list. I really fancied taking the crazy fanatic, bomber and chainsaw etc onto the field again. The only way to do that in Blood Bowl 2020 is by running a Goblin team. So that's what I'll be doing.

A quick rebase and reprime of an old Fungus Da Loon miniature and I found myself back on the painting horse.

In fact I finished this one and primed an old troll over the weekend. Hopefully this might be the thing that gets my momentum going again.

Chosen Men - British Light Infantryman (Nick)

Not the 95th rifles suggested last time, but a light infantryman of the 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment of Foot instead and my first ever British Redcoat - figure is Warlord Games plastic British Line Infantry with alternative metal head.

Mostly painted with Citadel Contrast paints over white, with additional highlights in normal acrylics - starting with the white details in Apothecary White (later highlighted/tidied up with Vallejo 'Off White'), then carefully pre-colour/flood the scarlet jacket areas with Blood Angels Red, shade the creases with Flesh Tearers Red and highlight with Green Stuff World 'Ember Orange' - other colours following a similar pattern as appropriate.

The separate backpack and attached equipment was started from a black primer as that seemed more sensible given the final colours, but would probably work just as well in the same technique as the main figure over white.

I'm not sure if the Flank Company/Light Infantry shako is strictly correct but the alternative metal heads mean I can use a handful of mixed sprues I picked up over the years, some with covered Belgic shakos for Waterloo/100 Days campaign, some with Stovepipe shakos for the Peninsula campaign and even some with stiffened caps for Hanoverian regiments.

The covered Belgic shakos I do have will be used later for some Line Infantry and should make them really easy to distinguish from one another on the table top.

I don't even know if the 45th were issued with Belgic shakos at all, as they were returned to barracks in 1814 and were not present for the 100 Days campaign/Waterloo - so a bit of artistic license anyway.

Despite these shortcomings or maybe oversights from a historical point of view, I chose the 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment for the same reasons as some of my previous projects to inject some local flavour - this seems to be the most local regiment during the Napoleonic conflict and later joined with the 95th Derbyshire Regiment of Foot to become the infamous Sherwood Foresters, so the most 'Derby' link I could find... the fact that their colours are also green means they tie in again with my favoured green/yellow (orange) theme that seems to be running through these projects too.

Hopefully he passes muster and I can knock up a few more to complete my first unit for Chosen Men and possibly Sharp Practice too.

Chosen Men - Objective Marker (Nick)

Firstly welcome back to Carl, it's been a while!

...and for me at long last I have my first finished piece of 2021, a lot later than anticipated, and certainly not what I expected to be up first!

However, I have managed to keep up the 'paint on brush' for 84 days straight now which must be an all time record for me, so there are quite a few things that are very nearly completed.

This is an objective marker I have been wanting to make for ages since I first picked up a spare French finial, and I'm sure it's nothing to do with watching Sharpe's Eagle & Sharpe's Regiment again recently on DVD?

Quite a simple piece, it is just a French Napoleonic 'Eagle' from Warlord Games attached to a suitable brass wire flagpole, which is then inserted into an mdf base and given some extra stability by adding a small pile of rocks.  The remnants of the Tricolor are made from ordinary printer paper wrapped around the pole, secured and hardened with thinned PVA and then cut into a ragged edge with plastic cutters - the metal ribbons of the finial were then made to look battle worn too with various tools.

Although intended as an objective marker for the Chosen Men rules from the 'blue cover' Osprey Wargames series, it could easily see use in Sharpe Practice or any other 28mm Napoleonic games - this should give Carl's 'Frenchies' something worth fighting for, I just need to get cracking on some of my 95th Rifles to contest it!

Eureka Miniatures 28mm ECW Irish Musketeers (Carl)

I've gradually been building the beginnings of an ECW Montrose army in 28mm and while the main chunk painted is currently Highlanders I want to include plenty of Irish too.

These lovely models from Eureka Miniatures are the first Irish to join my slowly growing forces. Not a full unit, obviously, but a start on the way to the first group of musketeers.