Painting Table Update

Hi all,

Wow 2 posts in 2 days, I'm on a roll! Thought I would post up the paint station every now and then to share what I'm currently working on.

I've got some Foundry old west Mexicans, some ww1 French cavalry, some privateer press hordes Circle Orboros, some Forge World space marines and lots of other bits.

Fairly tidy as well for a change!

Cheers!

Darkest Africa Group

Hi all,

Long time no blog... Life has changed and there is little time for the brushes. But I am chipping away at the lead mountain when I can.

Back to my favourite period today, some Foundry Darkest Africa characters. Love painting miniatures from this range and have many many more to do!

These miniatures are available individually on ebay, please take a look!

Explorer
Ruga Ruga
Witch Doctor

Cheers
Rob

Some eBay auctions

Hi Guys,

Nothing new this time im afraid. I am reorganising my Old West posses and I have some extra minis so decided to part with them in the hope of funding a pirates project im pondering.

Here are the links to the auctions and images of the minis for sale, thanks for looking.

Cheers
Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121002651534?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121002653346?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Wulf & Gronk - A Palette Cleanser.

Hi guys,

Something a bit different this time. I've painted a few Foundry 2000AD characters in the past and loved them but they have been near the bottom of the lead mountain for too long. So I needed a palette cleanser and I am so glad I chose these two to paint. They were AMAZING to paint. Can't say enough good things about this range of minis. I have been trying a new red recipe and I feel it turned out nicely here. Especially next to the warm yellow. Gronk was much easier but I had to paint all the ridges on the arms otherwise it would look too flat. Anyway, I highly recommend throwing a random mini into the painting queue to keep things fresh and interesting.

Played a fair number of warmahordes games over the last two weeks. Made my first "official" visit to the Heavy Brigade WM group in the Thames Valley and have a highly successful evening with 0 wins and 5 losses :o) Back to the drawing boards... Had a great time and if your are in the Thames Valley area, look them up!

http://heavybrigade.org.uk/

cheers

Rob

More Darkest Africa I Presume?

Hi All,

More Darkest Africa. Really enjoyed painting these, particularly the explorer. So much character in this sculpt and I'm so glad to get round to him.

The Askari came out well also but the flesh always comes out too dark in pics and you lose some of the highlights. He looks better in the flesh!

These are on eBay for sale so please take the time to take a look:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120948057779?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_500wt_1156

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120948058299?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_500wt_1156

Still working on my Warmachine armies, particularly Cygnar. Almost finished a max unit of stormguard which will be a huge achievement for me as I struggle getting units done as I lose concentration...

Getting ideas together for the Warmachine blog so hopefully more on that soon.

Thanks and heres an individual pic of the explorer

Rob

A New Post!?

Hi all,

Woohoo a new post!

This time some more Darkest Africa minis from Copplestone and Foundry. The Guy in the blue coat is a Ltd Edition Copplestone mini that was briefly on sale again which I snapped up quick! Managed to get the Masai Elder as well but missed out on the elephant hunter - gutted :(

So real life has taken over hobby a lot but I'm getting more time again hopefully. I want to keep posting regularly again, at least once a fortnight but hopefully more.

As usual I am playing a lot of Warmachine / Hordes. I am thinking of starting a new blog devoted to WM and posting battle reports. A little project for the future perhaps?

I am also a big fan of a new ruleset called Smooth and Rifled by Dadi & Piombo. It is a small scale historical skirmish ruleset that they have adapted for a range of periods. We are interested in Napoleonic and Darkest Africa so far. Go and have a look! Here's the link to the download:

http://smooth-and-rifled.blogspot.co.uk/

Cheers
Rob

The dice were not with me...

Hi all,

Thought i would write the odd post here or there on my experiences in gaming and the hobby in general, in addition to posts about painted models and hobby time.

This post is about a game i had last night with a good friend of mine. We played a 35pt battle of Warmachine (Cryx vs Cygnar). It was the first game in a few weeks for me so was very excited to get the dice rolling.

However, when the dice started rolling they were not playing nice... I have not had a game where i have rolled so many ones for as long as i can remember. Really was disheartening as there is nothing you can do about dice rolls.

This is not a moaning post, it has simply reminded me how fickle feelings towards a game of toy soldiers can be. I love this hobby and how it enriches the creative and social side of my life. But when the dice are against you the enjoyment really can drift away (even if just momentarily).

BUT, im a big boy and i realise this is just one of those things. Ive had a good run of luck with games and a blip was bound to surface sometime soon. Im glad that the blip was down to rotten dice and not a rotten opponent. I thank my opponent for putting up with my long face towards the end of the game and for being a decent bloke :)

I would like to hear of any other experiences with bad dice from anyone who reads this, perhaps we could start a support group!

Finally, i would like to say a big thank you to all those who are following this blog. I don't advertise it much and use it mainly as bit of fun so i really appreciate it when i get the odd comment on a post or a new follower pops up. Good stuff guys.

Cheers

Rob

Odds and ends

H all,

Been a long time I know. Lots going on plus camera issues = a poorly updated blog. Will try and keep the updates coming!

So here are a few odds and ends ive been meaning to photograph and post for a while. First up are the elusive Foundry oriental pirates i have been promising for ages. They were painted to fit in with the Ironclad miniatures oriental characters i painted a while ago. I still have the rest of the crew to complete before i am ready for gaming. As mentioned my camera has issues and the focus is not 100% but you get the idea:

Next up is a Copplestone Azande. Just got the one painted so far to act as a guide for my Darkest Africa British but i have the rest of the pack to get through at some point. Still working on my African flesh tones, need more practice!

Next is a Musketeer Miniatures British Civil war character. Have no intention of gaming the period, just love some of the figures! Enjoyed painting him and he will end up on eBay soon i think:

Finally i have a group of three newish releases from Foundry; Satyrs from their new Tribes of Legend range. I LOVE this range and have invested in almost every pack and the rulebook. Greek mythology is very interesting to me and after reading the rulebook i think they are on to a winner. I understand there is some hate for a lot of the new Foundry lines but i think this one is great and looking forward to painting more:

So thats a few odds and ends ive had lying about for a while. Hopefully i can keep the posts coming if my camera behaves itself... Gaming wise i am still enjoying Warmachine / Hordes and am getting to grips with Bushido from GCT Studios. Nice game and nice minis, Check it out here:

http://www.bushido-thegame.com/

Cheers

Rob

More Old West

Hi Guys,

Some more old West for you today. Foundry figs again to add to my growing collection. The first pic are two additions to my outlaw posse and the 2nd pic is the start of my Mexican posse. Really enjoying the new Foundry Flesh palettes. Very useful for an old west project! Played a game not too long ago with my new Sarrissa Productions buildings and they really are awesome, need to buy more!

Life is pretty busy right now so i'm not finding a huge amount of painting time but i am trying to get a few of my own minis painted when i can. Otherwise i find things just get boring and the lead mountain doesn't get any smaller!

I hope to have more pics of something soon, possibly next week. I need to photograph some pirates that ive had finished for a while.

Cheers

Rob

Old West - Blackfoot

Hey guys,

First of an Old West Blackfoot Indian posse im putting together. Mini is from Foundry, as are all the Blackfoot Indian minis i will be using. VERY nice to paint and think they will look awesome all together. Surprised other companies havn't branched out into some Blackfoot tribes minis, they definitely have a different look than other Indians, mainly because they have more clothing and furs.

So my paint scheme is heavily inspired from the pics on the Foundry website. Love the muted tones and the splash of bright colours so that is what i am going with. The Flesh is one of the new Foundry flesh palettes - Native American Flesh. I used some darker browns at the start though. Heres the recipe for those interested:

- Foundry Conker Brown A,B

- Foundry Native American Flesh A,B,C.

Was a revelation not having to mix any colours as they all came straight out of the pot. Im moving towards Foundry paints again. Some of their new ACW browns and greys are particularly nice. They do still have some shockers though that need mixing through the shades but thats fine with me.

Cheers and thanks for the comments on my last post, enjoy the interaction and feedback from fellow bloggers.

Rob

Old West

And we are back at last, been a while I know. Some Old West guys this time. I'm updating my collection from Black Scorpion miniatures to Foundry and Artizan. I think the Black Scorpion minis are too big for my taste, which is a shame because they really are superb. So these are the start of an outlaw posse, starting out at 7 minis and i'l paint some more so i can make additions through a campaign, thats if i win some games!

I used the Foundry website and Kevin Dalimore's master class book as inspiration for the colour choices. The man has too much skill and is a great source of ideas. I have also been experimenting with the new Foundry flesh palettes, I will post some results next time.

With Old West gaming in mind, terrain is also a necessity. I have attempted to build scenery in the past and it took far too long and far too much effort. But now i have found the perfect scenery for my old west needs: Sarissa Precision. There are several companies making use of laser cut MDF terrain and these guys are up there with the best and amazing value. Check them out:

http://www.sarissa-precision.co.uk/

So more to come hopefully, i'm always greatfull for any comments

Cheers

Rob

Black Scorpion Old West

Hi all,

Some Old West from the excellent range at Black Scorpion Miniatures. Just painted this guy alongside other projects for a bit of variety. Always enjoy painting these sculpts, very detailed and great poses. Tried to keep to a muted palette and im pleased with the results. Has made a change to brightly coloured Chinese pirates! Pics of those to follow... :)

I've been bouncing from project to project in the last few weeks and i cant seem to focus. I don't mind because i am getting lots of variety in my painting and most of my projects are seeing some paint. BUT, it means that i'm not really getting anything finished as such. But at least im enjoying myself and thats what its all about!

I didnt attend Salute as its not my favourite show but i heard there was some nice games and lots of new releases for people to drool over. Like most i am interested in the new Perry plastic kits but also the prospect of plastic Zulu wars from Empress and Warlord...

Pics of Chinese pirates next hopefully

Cheers

Rob

Big Trouble in Little China

Hi all,

Something different for you today. Don't worry, there will be more Darkest Africa soon :)

Here are two characters from Ironclad miniatures. I bought these guys years ago at a show and havn't really thought about them. But i came across them in the lead pile the other day and I got a sudden urge to paint them. They are great sculpts but a bit plain so i thought i would go to town and do some freehand work. I'm really pleased with the result as i don't do much free hand. I like the way the colours have come out, especially on the male and it has inspired me to paint up my Foundry Chinese pirate crew in the same colours - so watch this space :)

I'm torn as to whether i should keep them or sell them. I'd hope they would make a few quid which is a positive but i really enjoyed painting them and if i did make it round to painting my Chinese pirates they would be great characters for a crew? I don't know... If you are interested in them drop me a mail with an offer and i may be tempted to part with them.

My personal Darkest Africa project is well on the way, i have several painted British and a few Germans and Azande ready for a coat of varnish so hopefully have pics soon. Feels great to be working on this project, should hopefully be having my first game with them next week.

Cheers

Rob

A couple more DA Explorers

Hi all,

Yep you guessed it - more Darkest Africa. This time a Foundry mini (left) and Copplestone mini (right). Followers of the blog will notice the Foundry mini is the second i have painted and i can say this one is a marked improvement.

Based on coins this time for the purpose of pleasing Doc :)

These will be destined for eBay or private sale, send me a mail if interested.

I also have a mini on eBay at the moment so please take a look:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120706341423&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

Having a bit of free time recently has meant my brain is on over drive with wargaming projects that i want to get started. This is dangerous for the wallet... Last night we played some Dystopian Wars at the club and i have renewed interest in painting my fleet. Darkest Africa is at the fore front of my interest but im looking at other colonial periods as well. Boxer Rebellion is interesting to me, lots of bright colours as well as a Napoleonic skirmish game with naval landing parties and native islanders. Its good to froth :)

Back to the brushes

cheers

Rob

DA Native Bearer

Hi all,

More Darkest Africa, this time a Native Bearer. These guys are essential to any expedition in the Dark Continent :) Pleased with the outcome, particularly the stripy pants, a colour combo i will use more in the future. Again he is for sale so let me know if interested. I have more DA minis to share but that will be tomorrows post - don't want to spoil you all :) Oh and Doc if you are reading this they are based on coins not GW bases... ;)

All these DA minis iv'e painted recently have really brought back my enthusiasm for this period and i have started painting my own minis for Darkest Africa rather than specifically to sell. I have started on some British Askari that will form the core of a British force. I also have some Germans to fight them that i will start basing up.

I am known for my hopping from project to project and in my opinion it keeps everything fresh and interesting. The hobby is about having fun and if you are not having fun painting and gaming a certain period / subject - move on to something that does excite you.

Theres my little nugget of hobby genius for the day...

Cheers

Rob

DA Hunter

Hi all,

More Foundry Darkest Africa today, this time a hunter / guide type character. Really enjoyed painting this guy, his eyes and features have been sculpted to make him look worried, perhaps he just stumbled upon a pride of lions? I enjoy working with these muted tones and think they came out appropriately. Again, this guy will appear on eBay soon with others that i have in the pipeline. I have also based some on coins as i am aware that some people are not fond of the GW style bases.

Also found a few more minis that will be destined for eBay: Foundry old west, GW Characters for Fantasy and 40k, Artizan Thrilling Tales and some Copplestone sculpts to name a few. Hopefully they will get me the funds to support my Warmachine addiction! :)

I find myself with a bit of free time over the next few weeks so hopefully their will be regular updates and pics and i will provide links to any auctions for those who fancy a look.

Cheers

Rob

Darkest Africa Character

Hi all,

The weather is finally better but i am struggling with my camera skills so bear with me until i can get some better shots.

I've decided to dig out a few more Foundry and Copplestone minis to paint alongside other projects. These will be for sale through eBay in the next few weeks as i have a Warmachine buying list as long as my arm that i need the fund :)

So today i have a Foundry Darkest Africa mini for you. A simple sculpt as most of them are, but lots of character. This particular chap could be useful as a salty captain for a steamboat? If you are interested in buying him before eBay then drop me an email.

I'm still working on a lot of Warmachine / Hordes minis which i'm enjoying. Really looking forward to the release of Warmachine: Wrath (the new book and releases) in June. Some tasty new models have been previewed, hence why i am selling minis on eBay again...

More pics when i sort my camera skills

Cheers

Rob

Those rainy days...

Hi all,

been a while since anything posted and that is a combination of being mega busy with real life and the 'lovely' English weather. It's either raining, windy, cold or grey and that makes for bad varnishing conditions! I've got a shelf full of completed minis that need a coat of varnish to complete them ready for pics but I do not want to risk getting 'cloudy' models.

Getting a bad varnish result is petty much the worst thing to happen after all that time spent painting it. I've been lucky and only had it a couple of times but it just feels awful.

So now the excuse is out of the way what's going on hobby wise? As usual my interests have shifted temporarily. Star Wars is on the back burner and Warmachine is back on the table (both gaming and painting). I've rekindled an old flame and got working on my Menoth again (pun intended ). I've painted the vassal mechanic and I'm working on a recently purchased Warcaster - Vice Scrutator Vindictus. Strange that I haven't picked this guy up before, his rules are pretty nice and I look forward to fielding him. Pics will be posted when the weather is kind.

I've also dipped my toe into Cygnar and I must say I rather like them. I only have the battle box and a unit of trencher commandos but I'm really enjoying using them. Also got a jack and a few inf painted and enjoying painting the blue and white.

So there you go. Warmachine is back on the table and I'm working on Menoth and Cygnar. Pics will be taken in due course. By the time that happens my interests may have shifted elsewhere again and I may have something different to share!

Cheers

Rob

A Dastardly Villain

Hi all,

Another Foundry Darkest Africa mini. From the same pack as Tarzan and Jane and a really nice sculpt. It's so simple but has so much character. I thought a simple paint job with hints of bold colour would be effective. The Blue is Vallejo deep sea blue with GW fortress grey added for highlights.

I didn't get to keep this one but i would love to have one in my own collection so if you have a spare, please email or leave a comment and we can sort something out. I have some ideas for different colour schemes and i really want to try them out!

Still have Star Wars gaming on the brain and im currently working on Cad Bane, the ruthless mercenary made popular in the Clone Wars animated series. Now, the WOTC mini is ridiculously expensive and from what ive heard, not the best sculpt. But, i saw on a forum i visit a conversion someone had done and it was truly inspiring. So i got the minis for the conversion ( cost me £2, the WOTC Bane is around £20-£30). He is now converted and sat undercoated on my paint station so hopefully i will be posting pics soon. Im happy with the result but converting minis really isn't a strength of mine. But until then, keep looking back for a skinny, blue Clint Eastwood lookalike...

Tarzan & Jane

Hi all,

Foundry Tarzan and Jane for you today. Wanted to paint these sculpts for a while as they are great practice for painting flesh. I enjoyed the challenge and i think they came out well. I particularly like Tarzan's face, easy to paint because it was so well sculpted. Should have a few more Darkest Africa pics this week so keep looking back.

On some of the forums i visit regularly there has been a buzz about Star Wars gaming. Ive seen all the different minis available and people are doing some great things with them. If you read this blog for a while you will know that ive repainted some WOTC star wars minis and really enjoyed them. I am currently painting some more, mainly droids, and i hope to start playing some games with them as i love star wars.

I mentioned im working with the WOTC pre painted minis. Some are good sculpts, some are really awful. There is one company however that is producing amazing star wars sculpts, but at a premium price.

http://www.knightmodels.com/30mm_hansolo_visor_ing.html

Its a small range at the moment but the releases have been fairly regular. I think they would be great additions to the WOTC range. So far i have Darth Maul and im really pleased with the quality of the sculpt and im looking forward to painting him.

cheers

Rob