Too quiet...

Unfortunately, I have been off-line for a bit, a situation that should be resolved by the week-end.  I have been able to get some things done, and pics will appear as proof soon.

Monsters, part 8

The slow rumble of progress continues...

The first finished monster of the project!

The base decoration is simple, deliberately so.  Just an assortment of model railroad-style stuff, with green flock added.  I think the rim of the base will be a close match to the tabletop.

Now, I just need to finish some human troops...

Lesquins, part 2

Just a small bit of progress; here is my first attempt at a scheme for the uniform colors:

Belts and straps will be black, I'm thinking, and the cuff trim and cravat might be red.  I am uncertain of the color for the pockets, and the leggings will be a cream color with red trim.

Slowdown...

Well, the progress here has taken a bit of a back seat to the surprising amount of work I have done with my Tékumel miniatures, but I should mix it up.

I am still undecided on the color to paint the bases; once I finally make up my mind on that minor detail some of the bogles will be nearly complete.  Currently, I am thinking a mid-grey will work.  Also, the search continues for a uniform scheme for the lesquins, but nothing decisive there as well.

Pics, of course, when something gets done...

Monsters, part 7

Several months ago, I posted this pic of some old miniatures that I am going to repurpose as nickers for the Half Continent:

The chap on the right spent some time (err, a long time...) soaking in some Dettol, and came out looking like this:

And now, with some fresh primer and a new, round base:

A fresh start for a miniature that was purchased over 12 years ago.


As for the other three miniatures from the first pic, they have been finished, mostly, and are just awaiting a final decision on how to complete their bases.

Where to now?

It has occurred to me that I have reached a milestone of sorts, finally, on this project.  With the veritable flood of new miniatures that have arrived (and another set that has been delivered happily - more on those later), the miniatures needs for skirmish gaming have been met.  I definitely have enough monsters and troops for some good gaming, so the procurement portion of the project will need to tack to a new heading.

Which direction is that?  Terrain, of course!

Simply put, I have no terrain pieces, save one, that could be used for a proper setting for gaming.  Everything will need to be obtained, from trees to fields to streams to buildings.  The one piece that I do have is a table covering, which I purchased very late in the previous century.  Simply described, it is a four-foot square of green-flocked rubberized felt.  I will need to drag it out from the closet and see if it will lay down flat on a table, and to check the color for base matching purposes.


Slow but steadily, the project plods on!

Lesquins, part 1

The first set of miniatures from Warfare/LOA is now primed, and as stated before they are slated to become my first unit of lesquins, or the Half Continent's version of mercenaries.  Here are a few examples:

The details are a bit easier to see now that they are primed.  I am trying grey primer with this unit, as I do not expect the uniforms of this unit to have large expanses of black, or even dark colors.

The variety of poses is impressive.  There are few repeats within the battalion pack which will give the lesquin unit a more relaxed appearance, especially as compared to Imperial troops.  I intend to use the poses in firing positions as skirmishers for the main unit once they are used for a large-scale battle.

Now, to decide what the uniforms will be, and a spandarion as well...

More progress

And just a brief update:

I have completed the 'build phase' on most of the new miniatures - the jackstraws have yet to be opened however.  Priming is next, except for my new big beastie which needs some serious green stuff help with the join of the left arm to the shoulder.

More pics after the primer sets, including some more side-by-side comparisons!

More new miniatures

Well, when it rains it pours sometimes!  One more set of new miniatures have arrived:

Starting from the left is a Reaper War Dog, which will be pressed into service as a proxy for a tykehound or guard dog.  Second from the left is a trio of Mites, also from Reaper, which seem to be a match for the Reaper gremlins I have already purchased, and will also be used as grinnlings.  This will make a total of 11 grinnlings!

Second from the right is a set from Crooked Dice - Corn Dolls, commonly known around these parts as scarecrows.  On the Half Continent, these are called jackstraws, and are a particularly vicious kind of revenant (or undead construct).  Jackstraws are mentioned in the third book of the series, Factotum.  These miniatures will get some modifications, including some with tricorns.

The right-most miniature is a Reaper Troll, and I think it is a great proxy for a large monster.  The miniature is reasonably similar to the 'Swarty Hobnag', which is also mentioned in Factotum.


I will have more pics of these later, after the League of Augsburg miniatures are primed at least!

A few new miniatures...

I think a break from baskets and nickers is in order, so how about this:

This is the better part of my first order of Warfare/League of Augsburg miniatures!  (Technically, I purchased them from Le Roi Soleil Miniatures, the US distributor).

Shown above is pack 'B008 At ease, no pike.'  There is a great variety of poses in the pack which is something that I really enjoy.  14 musketeers and 6 command make up the pack for a total of 20 miniatures, plus the separate weapons as shown.  No flagstaffs but I prefer it that way personally.

Also included in my order was this:

This is pack 'WLOA01 Musketeer firing line'.  The three firing miniatures are all slightly different, in weapon pose and hat variations.

It is my intention to use these miniatures as the first of my lesquin units.  Lesquins are the mercenaries of the Half Continent, known for flamboyant dress and high fees!  Compared to the Ebor WSS troops, they are not so flamboyant, but they are different enough for a start.


And, a comparison pic:

From the left - Wargames Factory, Warfare/LoA, Ebor, Imperialist

The LoA miniatures do have a very thin base, but they match up with the Ebor miniatures very well I think, in stature and style.  The Wargames Factory figures are somewhat taller, while the Imperialist miniature (specifically a Palatinate musketeer) is shorter - Imperialist does bill this as a 25mm miniatures, whereas the others are 28mm.

Grinnlings, part 1

The first pack of grinnlings have been pulled out of their package.  Now, the grinnlings on the Half Continent are small monsters that have taken to wearing the clothing of humans and occasionally sneaking into human cities.  This bit of background gave me an idea for a simple conversion of my gremlins from Reaper - adding a tricorn to one of them:

Here they are, along with a piece from the Wargames Factory WSS infantry set.

The bit I'm using is highlighted by the hexagon.  It is a simple conversion - trim the hat off, drill the bottom of the tricorn so it fits the top of a grinnling better, and some super glue to stick it on.

And, here is the first set, as of yet unpainted unfortunately:

The tricorn does not quite sit on the head properly, but I think it looks good.  This little conversion also re-acquainted me with the usefulness of the Wargames Factory plastic WSS boxes - even if you do not use them as designed, they are full of all sorts of bits that can be used for conversions and base enhancements.

My grinnlings, as compared to an Ebor infantryman.  These baskets are quite small, but a pack of them will be dangerous if underestimated.

Monsters, part 6

A little dab of paint here and there, and the result:

The smaller baskets are nearly done, with just a little something needed for their eyes.  It is unfortunate that these miniatures are bent over in the way they are - the faces are hard to see from the usual wargamer's perspective at the table during a game.

The taller one needs touch-up and details after a black wash, and of course all four of them need proper bases!

I did make another monster purchase today, after taking the above pic... We went to a small shop in Seattle called Gamma Ray Games, which has mostly board games and Magic cards (which was the primary reason for stopping - a birthday present for my oldest son).  The shop also has a small selection of miniatures, and I found these:

These are 28mm miniatures, but being gremlins they are rather small.  Although I am not too thrilled with the inclusion of weapons, I think that they will make great grinnlings, and, due to the store celebrating its 4th anniversary, the second one was 50% off!

Monsters, part 5

Here is a quick pic of what little I have been doing with these fellows.  The black wash, as you can see, was heavier than I expected.  Some drybrushing of the base color brought the scheme back together but I am not certain if it is right yet.  And a quick highlight to the teeth on these baskets does help the look.

Still more work is needed but they are slowly coming together.

Brief update...

Sorry no pics this time - upon the week-end perhaps!

Slow progress continues - the little monsters have been given a dark wash and a bit of drybrushing to attempt to rescue the job!  They are still darker than I wanted originally but they should be fine.  The Grackle's cousin is soaking in some Dettol; I hope the paint is loosening off of it.

Pics later!

Monsters, part 4

Just some small progress here:

I still have not stripped the paint from the fellow on the left, but the others are getting a little attention, including the Boschenburg troops in the background (although it is hard to tell).

And, a comparison pic.  The basket on the right is another from Darkson Designs, Beast of the Apocalypse.  I had originally thought that this miniature would work as a gudgeon, but I have reconsidered that and it will now join the legion of monsters while I search for a better construct.  Please note the the two baskets in the above pic are not nearly done; hopefully they will look better when they are finished.

Monsters, part 3

It has been a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things here, especially as I am working some long hours, and the hobby area was torn apart and re-organized.  But there has been a silver lining to these events.  One, even with the long hours, I am finding that just attempting to relax afterwards by 'Net surfing is not enough, and the urge for painting is returning.  Second, during the organizational drive I found some old miniatures that might work for gaming on the Half-Continent:

The three primed in white are juvenile Growlers from the old FASA game Vor the Maelstrom.  Although they do not fit the usual template for nickers, they will be just fine.  The beasty on the right is an old WOTC Dungeons & Dragons miniature, and could easily pass as a cousin to the Handsome Grackle from Factotum.  I am not certain if it needs to be stripped or maybe I can spruce it up some, but I might try to switch out the base for a round one.

Boschenberg units, part 2

Slow, slow progress - mostly because I have been distracted by my other blog... However, here is a WIP pic:

I am splashing a little paint on the Boschenberg troops.  Even at this stage, one can see the some of the details of the Ebor miniatures - I really like the faces.

Boschenberg units, part 1

Over the week-end I dabbed some paint onto one of my 28mm miniatures as a test of a Boschenberg uniform scheme:

My camera did not respond well to the color scheme - this pic has spent some time with my lovely wife and GIMP!  It is hard to see the difference between the brown and the black, although in person it is obvious.  The original artwork is at the official MBT page here.

I also took a bit of 'artistic license' with the trim and neckpiece colors, and I am not particularly happy with the skin color scheme, but for me it is a lot of progress!

28mm figures, part 4

As I put together my first small battalion of miniatures, I forgot to get the standard bearers ready.  Here they are now:

I added a length of brass tube for the flagstaff.  The actual spandarion will be mounted on a separate piece of tubing.  Hopefully this will aid in the storage of the unit after it is complete.

It is hard to see in the pic, but the chap on the right is resting his flagstaff on a 'rock' just to add some visual interest...

Monsters, part 2

Just a brief update:

I have clipped and puttied the basket, prior to adding a layer of fur.  The arms have also been drilled out and pins added.

I intend to let the green stuff cure for quite a spell before trying to sculpt the new coat of fur.

Monsters, part 1

Finally, after too much time has gone by, I have settled down to have a look at a miniature that could be used for a monster, or nicker, for some Half Continent gaming.

I am going to start off with the figure on the left, Darkson Designs Wendigo for their weird WW2 game. 

(The fellow on the right makes a pretty good gudgeon in my opinion though, and I will return to that at a later point)

The beasty is going to take some work, however.  This Wendigo is sculpted as an undead being.  It is my intention to skin over the open bits with some green stuff to give it a slightly more lively appearance.  I might reduce the forearm length also, as they seem a touch too long, especially in this pic.  The base, that accompanied the miniature, is 50mm in diameter, but I might try to replace it if I have a 40mm round base available.

Here is a comparison with an Ebor Miniatures ensign.  Big beasty is an apt term I think!