Boschenburg musketeers, part 5

A little bit of work on these figures, as the rebasing project moves forward once again:

New 25mm MDF bases, and a new filler for the top.  I am using a method very similar to the one used at this post on Dots of Paint.  Different, of course, but with the same basic premise:  using a pre-colored compound for the base.  I am using this for my bases:

This material has a grainy texture, and dries solid.  I will put my usual basing materials on top of this layer.

This should speed up the basing process a bit, but time will tell...

Boschenburg musketeers, part 4

There are times when I look back on a project and ask myself, 'What was I thinking?'

Well, I know what I was thinking when I mounted my Half Continent troops on ¾" washers - smaller footprint for the figures is good, and I can just make my own sabot bases.  That did not turn out as planned, so I am re-basing them onto 25mm MDF:

Here is the carnage so far.  Fortunately, no major damage has been done to the figures!  But, I have many more to go before the task is finished.

Luckily, many of the monsters were put onto 25mm bases at the start, and the grinnlings will keep their ¾" bases as I do not foresee them being grouped for mass battle...

Slow July progress

Slow progress again on the monsters - my work schedule and the temp inside our place is making it a bit hard to sit down at the paint table for long...

I did get some paint onto the grinnlings.

Work in progress

Just a quick pic from the desk:

The big basket on the right, some Boschenberg troops in the center, and other miniatures patiently waiting......

Monsters, part 10

Slow, slow progress - a bit of ink added to the big guy...

Sorry, the pic is a bit blurry!

Monsters, part 9

Another brief post, with a pic even:

The first dabs of paint on that huge Reaper miniature I purchased some time ago...

Boschenberg units, part 3

A brief post, with a pic of some work-in-progress miniatures:

More Ebor miniatures, not nearly complete though.  It is very difficult to see the brown color of the jacket; I might see about lightening it somewhat.

Boschenberg musketeers, and more monsters

Now that the home network is once again operating, I can post some pics.  Here are the first five musketeers for my Boschenberg force:

The chap on the right is the first one painted, from some time ago; now he has four companions - a half-quarto I suppose.  The brown of the coat does not show up very well with my camera, but the blue sure does.


I also finished a few more monsters:

I am not particularly happy with the pose of these miniatures, but they should work well for gaming.


And a group pic:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.