One thing I noticed while doing these models is that I really need to up my bases game. The mud look is… not great. It does the job but it’s missing all sense of greenery. So after talking with my wargaming group about their recommendations, I’ve ended up grabbing these base ready bags from Geek Gaming Scenics. The unmarked one (scrublands) will be mixed with the mud layer for my fantasy guys. Arid Grasslands is going on my Moderns while the ground cover will be mixed with the mud for my WW2, ideal for going through the Reichswald. Expect some more details when I get to playing around with them!
The rest of my hobby sessions this week have been finishing off my Dark Elf Corsairs and getting them built (as part of my aim to clean out the unassembled models sitting in boxes on my shelves). They are definitely late-era Warhammer models (designed to rank up and so similar in posing) but they do have plenty of interesting elements that are fun to build. Combined with the Fleetmaster figure, they should be a fun project to paint and a good set of rivals to fight.
And then there is also…
Some trees – I’ll write more on these when I work out how on Earth I’m going to paint them.
The nation of Siccarian is a proud member of the Midgardian Empire, trading it’s highly trained Legionnaires (experienced from border skirmishes and rough discipline) to maintain a certain amount of independence. Led by a Triumvirate elected from among the Senate, Siccarian is a land filled with political intrigue and decadence, that could almost rival the central regions of the Empire in it’s glory.
Yep, it’s a Roman figure from the Footsore Streets of Rome range. A fun little object to paint – A freebie from a wargames show (back in the days we had those). I decided to go with a super quick and easy paint scheme – white robes and sandals to give a look that will stand out among the more dirty fantasy figures. Ideal for a VIP character – perhaps a Siccarian travelling through the Empire and being ambushed on the road?
Despite using a black undercoat, I’m actually pretty happy with the white I managed to get. This was done with a layer of Vallejo Medium Grey, followed up by Vallejo White. A layer of Nuln Oil over the top and then a dry brush of White to keep the colour. I go pretty hard on the wash (as I have done with all my models) but at this point, it’s turned into a trait of my painting.
A member of the same order as O’Dicca and Jochman, Zorros Coliveri, son of Volpe Coliveri, has been described by many others as “a bounder, a cad and a villain of the highest order.” He is also, however, a very successful agent of the Midgardian Empire, an expert in hiring the scum of the underworld to work for him and his interests. He is also an expert swordsman himself, accompany swift blows and parries with a constant stream of mockery.
Well, I noticed that North Star Figures was running out of the Rangers of the Shadow Deep rulebooks and realised I should get my hand on it while the nice ones were there. However, I also noticed some of their ranger packs to go with that game. There are some really nice figures, and as I’m slowly building up a fantasy collection to allow for some fun skirmishing (maybe with Warcry), they seemed a perfect fit. I really like how they aren’t all cast-offs from the Aragorn casting line… such as this fine gentleman!
Despite being a relatively simple scheme, he was great fun to paint. Looking at O’Dicca from my last set of fantasy figures, I decided to flip the colours on Zorros. Red became the main colour, while the pale cloth is secondary. I really like the effect – as you can see in the bottom picture, they look great against each other, while still working if they were on the same side.
The only problem with the model was one I didn’t spot until I after I had finished painting it – there is a horrible mould line down the sword arm and up onto the hat. There was also a fair mount of flash that needed cleaning up under the arm as well. I ended up taking the photos to obscure it, but I might have to go back and repaint that arm. Or just carefully pose the camera to hide it.
Overall, I really like this guy. Looking forward to getting him on the table for some fantasy skirmish. I think my fantasy collection will end up being the pallete cleanser, the figures I come to for a break from the larger projects. Lots of simple schemes helped out by Agrx but onto some really fun models.
Another Monday hangout (chatting with a fellow friend about how to make some more cultists for his Necromunda gang) but also, we got into the final week of assembly for my Enforcers! Yeah, I’m shocked as well. With a total of 16 plastic figures (and a secret additional set that arrived this week), this project is already a chunky one, giving me a sizeable group I’ve poured my ideas into. But enough of that, let’s take a look at this weeks work.
First step, the last two chunky boys. Sorry “Subjugators”. These two were both designed to be the backup for the Subjugator Champion from the last SITREP and so I went with some “club and board” setup for them. I also delved into my bits box and pulled out vehicle icons from an old Black Templar sprue. This ties into these lads being on the more religious side, while also breaking up the circular motif that dominates the normal enforcers. I also gave them the same masked head as their boss, tying them together as a squad.
Chunky Boy 1 has the beret/goggle/mask combo in a similar pose to his boss, ready to form a wall for corridor blocking/clearing.
Chunky Boy 2 is a bit more rough and ready, with headgear removed and banging his shock baton/stave against the shield. He also has a slightly different style of pistol on his armour, pulled from an ancient space marine box, which gives him a slightly tweaked look.
Now back to the normal dudes. After building all the cool guys, I had to make a set of Red Shirts to be ready to fill in the rest of the group when casualties inevitable happen. Combined with the fact I was reaching the end of the box, this is what I would call “the danger zone”, where the desire to finish off and a lack of fun bits leads to some… less visual exciting figures. This happened with my Intercessors pretty badly. However, this time I had a secret weapon – a crapload of parts from Anvil and a bits box
Standard bolter bro, but the bandana adds a little bit of personality to him. I’ve also added items across his chest, just to cover up the central motif the Enforcers have. in this case, putting them at an angle gives them a sense of movement
Similarly, another bolter character. This time though, I decided to use one of my Space Marine style bolters and show it slung, letting the character use the hand gun. The sling is just a simple tube of greenstuff, running around the body to hold the bolter in place.
One of my new favourites, time to setup another shotgun guy, However, after looking through my options, I found the arm holding the shotgun by the pump. By then taking the arm holding the manacles and clipping it down, I was able to make it look like he’s pushing shells into the loading door. The head position also makes it look like he’s heard a sound in the darkness of the hive (such as a horrible bastard with a flensing weapon) and is pausing mid-reload.
He also has a back mounted element, which I’ll cover below.
When I first finished, the pose looked great, the guns were cool but… there was something missing. With another delve into my bits box, I found a cloak, stuck it over one shoulder and finally… I had her. I had a gunslinger. That said, I did then break out the green stuff to fill in the gaps and turn an arm cloak into a proper serape. I’ll admit, I did look at Overwatch’s McCree to get the basic idea (helped by the fact he’s similarly covered in armour) but I think the end results works out very well. We’ll see more once I put some paint on her.
After doing my constructions, I decided to go back and tweak a few other models I’ve already shown off. As well as adding the antennas I’d mentioned in my first post, I decided to add some additional armour elements to my Gang Leader and Champion. Pulling a piece from the Intercessor sprue (the mags for the Auto Bolt RIfle), I trimmed them down and added them to the rear of the armour. In my head, these are effectively an armoured sensor cluster/radio setup, just something to mark them out. In-game, they won’t do anything but it’s just a cool addition. Also yes, I need to trim down that mould line on the side of the box.
The final tweak to finished models was detailing on my sniper. I’d already included a cloak for them, but it needed a little more detailing. My plan was two-fold – build up the hood to smooth the join between armour and cloak, and then add strips of greenstuff to look like rags to break up the cloak itself. It’s only a really simple tweak, but I like it.
Now, I’ll admit, one of the things that brought me to the Enforcers was seeing the preview of the Forge World special character for them. Scruntinator-Primarus Servalen is a wonderful figure, an ideal offset to the large and armoured figures, with the pose and flowing cloak giving her a great sense of motion. Assembly was also really easy – there was a little bit of cleaning off the sprue with no major issues needing fixing. I did, however, do my little tweaks – swapping a head from one of the Anvil Industries PMC head (for the glorious sunglasses) and a small layer of green stuff over the chest plate to smooth out the circle and make it look more solid. She will play the role of “The Colonel”, one of the McNespy’s that run the outfit.
Doggo is perfect and needed no changes. I really like how this kit goes together, with a few sensible parts that fit together with barely any need for instructions. Having read through the rules, I’m very excited to see this guy on the board.
Well then 18 figures assembled, two boxes and a pile of spare parts I’ve assembled my gang. Even if I never actually get these guys on the table, it was a really good experience just building them all. The Necromunda kits are really good fun – even if the poses can feel a little bit restrictive you can usual bodge stuff to make it work. Adding the Anvil parts helped me to take them from the incredible designs from GW to something a little special.
Next step is painting. I’m still deciding the scheme, but I’m going to try and make sure it fits with the idea of a military/merc unit while still being slightly offset from the green I used for my Eldar Bounty Hunter. More details on that when I start putting brush to plastic!
First Monday in November so I spent it building some rather large lads for my Enforcers. The Subjugators are the rather large gentlemen who will be kicking in some doors, taking the lead (and the incoming lead) when it comes to breaking into the gang hideout. After working out a rough list, I needed to assemble two more figures for my starting gang – a Subjugator with a grenade launcher (but no shield) and then the Subjugator champion with his beating stick. And then I decided to have some fun.
Objective number 1 – grenade launcher man. Due to the way the points worked out, I managed to squeeze in a grenade launcher for putting some krak grenades down. Unfortunately, the Subjugator kit isn’t designed this specific configuration (it’s assumed you’re either using shields or the assault ram) so a little bit of improvisation was needed. I decided to go with the grenade launcher held at low ready, while the other arm is covered in strips of grenades. I kind of visualise him being a grenadle launching specialist so I could imagine him having some kind of auto-loading rack on his wrist, letting him reload without taking a hand off the carry handle, while a second rack waits for loading.
In addition, he also has parchment over his groin plate, some religious script offering protection (and matching with the other Subjugators) with a chest mounted stub pistol ready for action. The open void helmet is perfect for someone checking the fall of shot from the blooper.
Objective 2 – The Big Stick Boss. When I started putting him together, the pose I chose just came out so dynamic, shield held forward as if he was a knight, clad in armour. With the shock stave in one hand, shield in the other (along with a suitable holy symbol to match the stub pistol Subjugator I already made), he looks suitably dramatic. I decided to give him a little bit more personality by giving him the beret and gas mask but leaving the eyes open (making him stand out. He also has a stub pistol on the back of his shield, just in case.
Of course, no leader is suitably dressed without a cape – even in the underhive, one must be dashing to inspire the locals.
Finally, I had some fun. There are two heavy weapons that enforcers can pickup – a heavier version of the concussion rifle (I used last week) or the Assault Ram (a mix of grenade launcher and melee). Going on rule of cool, and matching with the visual image of smashing in bulkhead doors, I built the Assault Ram. The void helmet is suitably encompassing for hard work, the required stub pistol in a rear belt carry (assuming the trooper would simply carry the front grip while aiming the pistol) and hanging off his forward arm (obviously to protect him) another piece of Black Templar religious gear to once again tie the squad together.
These guys were really fun to assemble – all of them are big chunky boys, a nice change from the regular Enforcers. They look gloriously ready for beating the crap out of anyone they might encounter in the tunnels. It’s also amazing just how much a simple head swap can make them look different from the original models – they are really fitting into my idea of these guys being sci-fi low tech mercenaries.
I’m aiming to finish these enforcers this month, so I still have another six guys to assemble and then the painting can begin. It shouldn’t take too long to put the last few together – probably going to be a mix of boltguns and shotguns to round out the team.
It’s time for a new month! And with the UK about to re-enter national lockdown (not that I’ve noticed much different), there is probably going to be a little more hobby time. As you’ve seen, I’ve really enjoyed posting my little updates, helped especially by the Monday painting sessions with my Dastardly Regular Opponent among others. But one thing I have missed is talking about ongoing projects, using a post as a sort of summary/catch up/reminder of how things are going.
Project Space Marines
The big boys first – I actually painted a squad worth of dudes last month. These guys (and girls) have been waiting around for a while so it was really good to get them cleared off my to-do list. It was also a nice change to paint, with big chunks of smooth armour and detail to be painted over.
The next step is to finish off my character figure (Cypher from GW range) in a paint scheme that matches his allies but is also a touch more dramatic to mark him out as a character. I’m planning on getting him painted up this month, and then I’ll turn to look at rest of the Marines I have. These guys don’t have quite as fancy armour, so I’ll need to work out what I’m doing with the silver shoulder pad. I’m also going to try and resist the urge to buy any more marines, but the Heavy Intercessors would be really cool. The downside is I would need to buy a chunk of Deathwatch Conversion packs to get enough armoured shoulders for the heavy armour, meaning I’ll have a load of normal power armour shoulders left over…
Oh dear.
Project Enforcers
The main project I think is next is getting my Enforcers/Space Mercs assembled. I’ve worked out a few rough lists, now I just have to nail down and assemble the remaining guys. I’ve still got plenty of heads and plenty of bodies to do, but I am really enjoying the assembly stage. The Enforcers are definitely designed to fit together in one specific way but you can do a few tweaks if you try hard enough.
Ideally, I’d love to have all these guys painted up by the end of the month but it’s not a hard and fast timeline. The scheme I’m thinking for them is a little more military than the yellow scheme GW uses. In part, it’s inspired by the classic 8th Cadian colour scheme, with a bit of extra grime.
Project Fantasy
Urrgh okay. So Fantasy has been on the backburner for a good while. I had a really good start in the beginning of the year, getting a good few of Northstar’s excellent Frostgrave/Ghost Archpelgio models painted. I also grabbed a few classic GW figures and then… well I moved and the world went to shit and my motivation disappeared through the floor.
But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As I have fallen hard into GW’s embrace, I have repeatedly been tempted by Warcry, Games Workshop’s most innovative game for a while (in no small part to a friend up in Edinburgh talking about it). What sealed the deal for me was the release of a new box including my favourite type of Elf (shadowy and stabby). Coming with two forces and a ton of scenery, it looked like a pretty good deal (and perfect to given as a combined christmas/birthday gift in the new year). So that will be waiting for me under a Christmas tree.
But of course, if I have a new ruleset and figures then I can just use all my current stuff right? Yes (after I make up some profiles with the help of a friend’s tool). However, there is an issues with bases. All my old figures are on the Frostgrave standard totally-not-a-2p – anything new will be on GW bases. I have also moved some GW figures to the thinner bases and… man they look bad. So, during a bout of insomnia/mental fatigue, I decided to rebase all my figures onto the correct size of GW base, flared out bottoms and all. For the metal figures this was an easy job of just popping the super glue and pulling. For the plastic… there is a little more work. I’ve done off the metal, so the next step is sitting down and doing all the various troops and zombies.
One part of this however was seeing my painted minis (whose bases have been swapped and rextured) up close again. I really like the paint jobs I’ve given them so far, and the impulse to paint more leather and steel is slowly returning.
Project WW2
Ah my offt loved, sadly forgotten project. It was going so well – the groundswell of support for it coupled with playing a campaign of it over in York was getting me slowly ready to sitting down and painting up my British Platoon. But then York and Leeds both got Tier 2 status and so that idea came to a screeching halt.
However, I have not been idle on it. I have now reached the point where I have enough metal Empress figures to make a full platoon plus 2x Vickers supports (very useful against an entrenched foe with MG42s). I have also been hard at work (as you can see above) doing a few conversions to prevent my army looking too much like a group of clones. Some are pretty minor – covering up a shovelhead with a bugle, or swapping a grenade hand with a revolver to make an NCO. Others have been the classic head swap, requiring some green stuff work to cover the gaps and a steady hand to do the deed in the first place. The set I’m happiest with are the tweaks where I’ve removed the helmet and replaced it with some crude greenstuff work to make some cap comforters. These guys are additional to the main platoon and so will probably end up as engineers or other support – however, I think they will do very good work in scouting pair, sneaking through the mud to find the enemy during the patrol phase.
Project WW2 is ongoing but not currently a priority – this is mostly because I can’t really do anything with it (and therefore lack the motivation to finish it) until I can return to fight my friends t’up north (such as the wonderful christmas game) or I get my hands on enough Jerry to make a rival platoon.
Project Modern
Moderns are kind of the old standby for me. There is always plenty to work on (far too much to work on) and with Spectre releasing new stuff, it’s very easy to add to the pile. I’ve picked up the new additions and will (along with the old militia on my shelf) get them undercoated and based to match the rest. I’ll probably then get the new Tier 1 guy done and in the display case with his buddies, mostly because I quite like them as a group.
Moderns is on the low simmer, so I’ll paint what I fancy. I do want to get a solo game in though – the Sangin rules need testing, and I quite fancy using the Germans I painted up ages ago…
Project Murder Elves
I continue to be intimated by my tiny collection of Dark Eldar figures and will get them at some point. Mainly because I haven’t decided on a paint scheme for the little devils.
Project adalet
Okay, so I may have mentioned that I have been suffering bouts of depressive episodes on and off for the past year or two. Well deep in the midst of one last week, I finally pushed the button on a project I’ve had in the works for a while. To put it mildly, I love the new Battle Sisters squad. The models are incredibly strong visually, and GW plastic kits are really well designed. I’ve wanted a squad of my own for ages (not a full army!) but really wanted to do something special for them.
I am also a massive fan of the game Overwatch and one of my favourite heroes is Pharah, the Egyptian lady in flying power armour. I’ve had quite a few thoughts about making some sisters different from the typical Catholic nun and the skin above (labelled as Bedouin in the game) has given me several ideas for the mix of armour and cloth. I’ll write more details in a proper post once I begin work on it (which won’t be until after I finish the enforcers) but I’m really looking forward to what this project will be like.
That’s the project update for the start of November. As you can see, I have a fair amount I can pick at when I have time (and I haven’t even mentioned the MDF yet) but I’m slowly getting back to a place where I have time/energy to put into hobby stuff. I will say, having a fixed hobby time and friends to do it with has really helped my mojo, so I’m very tempted to keep it even when things go back to ‘normal’.
I’ll be back next month with another project update post but until then, keep your eyes open for more SITREP posts.
One exciting thing about Modern Wargaming is seeing a new company coming online doing something new. Anthalonica Wargaming is one such new company, coming out soon with a release of brand new range focused around police action in the UK. They have already shown off a few sculpts and I have to say, I’m pretty interested in seeing the final product. Based off some of the Facebook posts, I think the 28mm range is (in part) done by Anton at Flytrap Factory. There are definitely some similarities to the Contiki guys done by him in the past and he does do some good work. But enough hypothesizing, let’s take a look at the models.
First up, we have a pair of Authorised Firearm Officers. These guys have full kit – fast helmets, body armour and a shitload of other kit. Weapon wise, we’re looking at SIG MCX rifles and sideams, as well as potentially a taser to deal with non-lethal situations.
You can also see a nice size comparison to the Empress US Infantry in this picture which is promising. They seem to be pretty similar proportionally.
The second pair shows some variations in the range. Another figure with an MCX, although this one is wearing a baseball cap (while being listed as a headswap figure) while the last is armed with a G36C for a bit of variation. You can see plenty of details on them which is cool, showing just how much kit they have on.
Finally, the other element of the range being shown so far is some upcoming western civilians. This is definitely a gap in the market, the rise in Special Forces/Zombies games not quite matching to the additional units needed for it. There is a nice variety to them, from the well dressed to the local street slummers. Even better, some of these figures will have armed doubles, ideal for any situation where the action has a chance to kick off on the roll of a dice.
We’ve also got these two previews of the masters for the four armed officers. As you can see, they are looking pretty good, with a lot of the detail maintained. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in the flesh (well metal) and how well they paint up.
Overall, this is an interesting looking range, and it will definitely be on my to buy list when they come out. Not especially because I plan on doing some police action, but I think most of these guys would still work really well in other roles in modern wargaming – perhaps as non-government private military groups or something similar. I’ll be keeping an eye on them, and will probably pick some up when they are released.
