Where Did August Go?

Not much new here. August just flew by. The last two weeks my daughter and I have both been home sick with some sort of plague (both still sick.) Otherwise same old shit taking up all my time.

Today I was rummaging through some old boxes and found what is probably one of the earliest painted minis I've still got. Painted with enamel model paints, before I discovered acrylics. Grenadier orc.

As much as I'd like to keep him around for nostalgia, I dropped him in the paint stripper as I think he'll make a fine, if ugly, addition to my little half-orc project. Besides, I've got an even older mini that I keep around to remind me of the early days:

Other than that, the only gaming related stuff I've got going on has been getting lost in my fever addled head, thinking of new scenario & campaign ideas. There's one in particular that I've really fleshed out, utilizing minis I've already got but encouraging me to paint a few last items. It's based on something familiar, but different. Different-ish. I'm going to call it Vengeance of the Witch Blaster! I'll just need a few players. And a piece of terrain. And like one or two more units painted up.

Marshing into April

No more marsh-y themed minis for March. I'm still working on stripping the paint from those old Marauder trolls, and looking for the remaining two that I still don't have.  In the meantime, I am soaking the other four in some Dawn Power Dissolver, at the recommendation of Blue. My usual go-to, Simple Green, just wasn't cutting it this time.

I did manage to strip, prime and start on the MM41 ogre that finally completes my collection.

While that's all going down, I also, miraculously quick, finished the Westfalia goat knights!

Although I do think I will be turning one of these into a standard bearer at some point. Or maybe I will try to get a few more to create a standard, champion, and musician...

So with Big April coming up, I'm looking forward to...

Giants! (And the above-mentioned ogre.) A bit ambitious, and slightly out of focus it seems. First will be finishing the paint on the Warploque giant. While that's going on, I will prep the other two -- from Heresy and Otherworld.

IF, by some miracle that all gets done, I have more in mind. I would still REALLY like to sculpt my own giant. Given the timing, that's been on my mind again and I think I've got a decent picture in my head of that I want to do. Also, I've got some more giants here, still waiting to be painted. I have several of the Reaper Bones giants from their last KS. These are a bit larger than the older sculpts, and in fact one is a resculpt of one I've previously painted.

I've also got the extra heads from the Otherworld giant. The web site says to select one, but they ended up sending all three. I could try to magnetize them so they're swapable. Or maybe I can work out a way to get an extra giant out of the deal...

...oooooor maybe not.

Busy Week

It's been a busy week. I was on the road for work, the first time in a while. I worked my ass off so I would have time for a little personal time for a side trip to visit some missiles & spy planes.

I had been wanting to go back & spend more time at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, but my plans haven't panned out. But since I was in the neighborhood (I was working just a few miles away!) I managed a little side-trip before heading home.

 At this point, they've added an entirely new building, which was really cool as it offered a nice display of experimental, space, and presidential aircraft. They even offer walk-throughs of several generations of the latter. I may post more photos later.

Speaking of my trip, I was also working in the same strip of shops as a Games Workshop store. In spite of playing their games & painting their minis since the mid to late '80s, and even getting the grand tour of the Baltimore HQ, working a table at Games Day, etc. I've never been in an actual GW store. I felt like I should go in, but didn't really have any good reason to -- other than the "never been" excuse. But that turned out to be good enough. The store was nice, and the guy working there was friendly and helpful. In fact, I felt kind of bad not buying anything, since he answered a lot of my questions about their newer games.

Back home now, a bit tired and I ended up working on a pile of housework all day. But I just snuck off to the basement for a bit of painting time.

Finished the first of two High Elf Sky Cutters for a friend. Well, it still needs snow on the base. So, like 99% done. The other still needs a little work, but is mostly done.

I also painted five more of the hobbit goat knights. Six done, seven more to paint. Trying to come up with a name. Phillip's Lancers is the best I've got so far. (Woulds't thou like to charge deliciously?)

I'm getting anxious about finishing the High Elf commission, and these hobbit goat knights. The past few years I've enjoyed the March/Marsh and Big April themes. But at the rate my 2018 painting is going, these few high elf chariots and handful of hobbit knights will take me through the next month or two. Should I manage it, however, I will aim to paint the bog trolls in Marsh, and I have three BIG giants for April. (OK, one is half painted already -- a left-over from last year.)

And hey, look what arrived in the mail...

...I'll write down my initial impressions in a separate blog entry.

Test Goat

Not much time for painting lately, but did paint up a test mini from the unit of Westfalia goat knights.

Looking forward to getting some time to work on the rest of them.

On The Table

On the table...

...the heavy hitters of the Jackrabbit Trading Company, and some more of their goods. The chests and kegs are from WizKids. In spite of the "HD" and "Deep Cuts" labeling on the packaging, the detail is a bit shallow and soft. But the price was good, and I think they will look OK when painted up. I think I also need to go back and buy the adventurers camp for use with the JTC.


Daydreaming about solo gaming again. Measured up my basement and I don't think I can fit my table in. Further daydreaming about building some walls inside our (detached, un-insulated, unconditioned) garage to create a game "room." Unlikely. Getting the no-gaming-blues again.

Giant! (a game)

Revisiting an old idea for a game.
D

Drawn by the smells of the alehouse and sizzling wurst, a giant is lumbering (possibly drunkenly) towards/into the village/shire/whatever. The militia gathers and makes its stand. Individually, the hobbits may be small and weak, but the cumulative effect of their steadfast defense just may be enough to hold off the super-sized raider.

It will be like Ogre for fantasy skirmishes. But also not. 

Edit: It could really be any asymmetric battle... dragon & kobolds, Goremaw & goblins, etc. I happen to like painting & collecting giants and Hobbits.

JTC Boar Cleavers

Finished the Boar Cleavers. Definitely want to get more to bulk up the unit to 20-25 figures!

Boar Cleavers - First Two

Trial painting on first two minis for the Boar Cleavers unit.

Boar Cleavers - WIP

Hit another snag with the hobbit goat knights. I was going to order some slotted bases, but noticed that since they have a single tab, they would end up being shifted to one side or the other of a standard two-slot base. I need to find bases with a single slot down the center -- or find some other way to base them.

So while I sort that out, I prepped some other hobbits... The Boar Cleavers. Taking their name for from their brave stand against mounted orc raiders on the Jackrabbit Trading Company's first caravan mission, the Boar Cleavers are the most elite regiment in the company -- nearly as effective as the average human unit!

More Westfalia miniatures, plus a regimental mascot (from a pack of dogs from Mega Miniatures?) to round the numbers out to 15 for the moment. (I'd like to fill this unit out to 20 strong, if I can get my hands on more hobbit halberdiers.)

Hope to paint them soon!

Wight Riders, Goat Knights

Finished a rushed paint job on this unit of old Citadel wight/skeleton cavalry. They were a rare eBay win, and they were (are) in somewhat rough shape -- but the price was unexpectedly reasonable.

One of the next items up on my desk are the Wesfalia hobbit goat knights. They're cleaned and half assembled, but I discovered I am out of slotted cavalry bases! First time I've ever been out of any sort of slotted base in... ever? So I'm not even sure where to buy them!

Any advice? I'd like a US source. Cheap. NO laser cut wood or MDF. Magnetic bottoms would be a bonus, but not essential as I've got a big roll of sheet magnet that I use for making my own.

SPEAKING (typing?) of Westfalia hobbits... I just got the Second Breakfast KS reward! My very modest haul included small units of the Merry Halfmen (scout archers), Merry Goats (archer goat cavalry), some villagers, and a few characters.

What I could really use is a second chance at getting some of the first KS hobbits.

I've been wanting to get to work on the Westfalia halflings since I got them, but have been procrastinating (other than the crossbow unit) because of the bent spears & lances. So I finally tried hot & cold water (straight from the tap) to re-position one and it worked pretty well. So... looks like hobbit's back on the menu boys!

(Edit: Just straightened out the goat knight's lances and it was easier & quicker than expected!)



Pic's a little dark, but wanted to post it because they're an Oldhammer paradox for some - old, but blobby plastics! My friends & I never would have gotten nearly as deeply into WFB if it wasn't for the Fantasy Regiments and Skeleton Army/Horde boxes when we were young. The armies in our group and at the two area game stores also reflected this. Almost everyone played armies that could be bulked out with a couple units of plastics.

I recently got these two goblins and a few of each of the others in a box of stuff I won on eBay, and it's a fun bit of nostalgia

Scout Rivalry

Eventually I will post a bit of backstory about these two units. I'm increasingly fond of creating a narrative behind the units I paint. These were painted with the idea of two rival units of scouts. One a group of bandits who appear suddenly, raid small settlements, then slip back into the woods. The other a group hunting them.


The B.F.G., lead by the Notorious G.O.B.
Mostly Westfalia steppe goblins, plus a couple of old plastic classics I recently found, lurlking in the background. (The latter don't really fit aesthetically and may end up being used elsewhere.)

Hawk's Blue Forrest Rangers
Black Tree Design minis, one of two flavors of halflings they sell.

Scouting the Scouts

Test models for speed painting two small units of scouts. Or should that be two units of small scouts? Whatevs.

Halfling Owlgryph

Halfling owlgryph! It's a metal Reaper Miniatures figure, with the top half of the (tiny) dwarf rider swapped out for the top half of a Westfalia halfman. I swapped the halfling's sword for the dwarf's spear/lance, though, as I thought it was a more appropriate weapon

 

 

 

May(fly)?

Over at the Warhammer-Empire forum there was a discussion about a monthly painting challenge, and the idea of doing monthly themes took flight. It just so happens that May is May(fly) month. So... painting flyers.

I thought this was a fun idea, and a good excuse to paint some forgotten figures. So I went digging...

...and that was what I came up with. I wasn't sure which figure(s) to paint, but I did start work on converting the owl-gryphon with a (small) dwarf rider. The bottom half of the rider is cast on the beast's body, so it was just a matter of cutting a Westfalia halfman (now a quarterman?) in half, removing his weapon, and making a few other small changes. I cut the dwarf's lance off, and remounted it on the halfling.

Now I need to make a suitable base. There's a slot-tab on the figure, but it would be awkwardly posed to just glue that on a base. I also want to give it a little height, since it looks like it's flying or a least coming in for a landing.

The Tall & Short of It

Finished the Meier cloud giant.

Making progress on the last metal produced Citadel giant, and the old C28 Citadel giant I have. They should be done by the end of my April challenge. As for the Warploque giant (not pictured)... it may not be April, but I plan on finishing him, even if it's not done til may.

When I first got into miniature gaming in my youth (Battlesystem, Chaos Wars...) it was difficult for my friends and I to find figures. Some of my first minis were from the Grenadier "Halfling Party" set that two of us split. In fact, I still have some of them. But today, a full box of nostalgia arrived in the mail!

Happy Easter, to those who celebrate it! Watch out for those eggs...

Real End of Marsh '17, and a Short Distration (or Three)

I was hoping to get one last project done for the Month of Marsh -- converting the big Reaper ogre to a Fomorian hero. But it is now officially April, and I haven't even finished sculpting the head (actually working on two of them at the same time, and will pick the better to use.) This is as far as I got...

While waiting for the various layers of putty on the heads above to cure, I did a bit of painting and...

"Trois" I've got a story in my head about these three. Maybe it will work its way into a campaign, or bit of fluff or something. The hobbit on the left is from Reaper, the two on the right are from Westfalia.

Finished Unit of JTC Crossbow

I finished the converted pennon/standard bearer for the crossbow unit. I would still like to add a badge to the banner, but have not made up my mind yet. I may plan that out for various units when I get further into the project.

A group shot, including the above figure and champion, the first sample figure from Westfalia. He's painted in different colors, but I will let that slide as a matter of personal choice by the Captain of the Crossbow.

Overall... great figures. Easy to paint & look great. Very happy with how they turned out, and regret that I didn't get more. So at least one more unit this size is now on my wish list.

JTC Crossbow for Now, More Undead for Later

I've painted the first group of Westfalia halfmen for the Jackrabbit Trading Company (JTC.) These are the crossbowmen. I liked the idea of crossbows because it's a different take on halflings. It seemed to make sense, for some use, to me. Greater draw, range, power than bows or slings. Both of those will still have a place with scouts, rangers, militia, etc. But for the "professional" guard of the JTC, I'm going to use some crossbow troops.

If you look carefully, there is actually one with a handgun. I picked up some miscast figures from Westfalia, with the intention of using them for casualty markers. And I will. But I needed a few more figures for this group, and one of the supposed miscasts was a handgunner that I couldn't find any flaw on. So "Boomstick Bill" the hobbit joined the ranks. Bill's always got to do his own thing.

On that topic, I still wanted one more. So I picked a halberdier from the miscasts, reconstructed his helmet and side of his head (a couple of big bubbles in the casting) and then cut off the halberd and put together a standard. So once this guy is painted, he will join the above unit plus the first sample figure I received from Westfalia, giving me a unit of 16. Or two smaller units of 8. I regret not getting more crossbow hobbits, and if they become  available for general purchase, I would like a second batch.

Yesterday I received (another) package in the mail from Shadespyre. A small batch of the later Citadel armoured skeletons, to match the few I painted up in Deadcember. I knew they were on their way, so I also got hold of a sample pack of similar looking former Harlequin skeletons from Black Tree Design to see how they scaled up. In the photo below, there are three Citadel figures on the left, and three Black Tree figures on the right. Pretty close match!

Scrobbleton Jackrabbit Trading Company

Since returning to the hobby, I've had a long term goal of putting together my own take on an oldschool story driven campaign pack or packs. The plan would also include running these games both for myself (either solo or with friends) and optimistically hosting them at events as well.

The specifics have drifted back and forth quite a bit. OK, a lot. But at this point I've got a good start, and its time to start solidifying the ideas. While I plan on creating scenarios with specific forces, etc. I have also decided to re-write some army lists both for my own guidance (not that I have to stick with them,) and maybe for using with friends at some point.

The concept has wandered as my interest has, and so the thing has grown from two factions -- Marienburg vs. the Undeadish, to four and a half:

• Marienburg
• The King of Old (undead)
• Fomorians (more or less, Fimir in WFB terms)
• Zogmar (his warband is the "half")
• The Jackrabbit Trading Company. 

The latter, as I have previously written, is the security arm of a trading company based in the Wasteland -- Marienburg's hinterland -- and is based on the unconventional concept of mercenary hobbits. I've got further back story behind all of that, I will write it down eventually.

I previously posted (I think) my re-written draft for the Fomorians in WFB 3rd. I have also come up with a Kings of War list for them. I've moved on to the Jackrabbit Trading Company, here's my initial thoughts on a WFB list:

The Scrobbleton Jackrabbit Trading Company, WFB3 List, v0.1

(Dammit, blogger won't embed Google Drive PDFs. How naive of me to expect Google products to cooperate with each other. Well, I switched it to a link now.)

Some thoughts: The multiple +3 shock elites seem excessive, but they really just put some of the hobbits on nearly equal standing with other armies/races that are a bit more... capable. The major point being that it give them access to at least some "elite" troops with WS3 and S3. I figure the usual halfling profile assumes regular militia types -- and that will still be the bulk of the less experienced caravan guard. Small, sedentary, more inclined to missile fire, skirmishing, and avoiding combat in the first place. But perhaps after some experience fighting off bandits, raiders, and creepy one-eyed swamp perverts, some of the company has developed at least a slight knack for combat. The S2, in particular, is going to be a killer when facing T4 & T5 troops. I wanted to give them at least something to work with!

Related to this, I've (slowly) started painting the Westfalia halfmen miniatures. :)