#workbenchWednesday 17/07/19

Been another busy week...

Workbench is looking rather full, as, not content with working through 2 units of Berserkers and a unit of Dwarves, I made a start on some Artizan Design's Vikings I picked up just to try my hand at eBay sales.
All of them have had all the basecoats and a wash applied, so it is just a matter of going back over them and doing all the layering and highlights.

I also slapped some paint on the Blood Eagle objective from Footsore because I had it on the (freshly cleaned) pallet, and made a start on that Foundry Dwarf mini I picked up in Dumfries.

Had a nice surprise in the post too yesterday, the Kickstarter Exclusive Dark Watcher mini from Relicblade, so, he'll hopefully get started soon, once I find a snazzy resin (lipped) base for him.  Thanks Leon for adding him into your pledge.

Should fit my painting style.

Also managed my first game of SAGA: Age of Magic, a quick 4pt affair with no magic, just to get a handle on the boards.  Played Horde vs. Otherworld and got my rear end handed to me bouncing off multiple units of creatures...  Oh well, lesson learned - take more bows.


That's about it really, going to keep chipping away at the stuff on my desk, then hopefully get some stuff up on eBay too, as well as finishing off an article I've been battering away at for a week or so.

Until next time,

Cheers,

John

#workbenchWednesday 10/07/19

Slightly delayed because stuff that ended up with me sleeping like 12hrs straight...  Hey, at least I got a rest.

Workbench is busy.

Obviously moar Vikings on the go, 2 points of Berserkers for Saga Age of Magic, along with a unit of Oathmark Dwarves for my Of Gods & Mortals force.  I've also made a start on a Mantic Troll for that too, but it is such a horrendous sculpt, that I think I'm looking for some alternative models to use.

Just not keen on the ridiculous size of the hands and shoulders compared to the tiny legs.  Plus the mould lines are bad.   Back to the drawing board with them.. If anyone has any ideas about decent Troll figures with a Norse/Dark Age vibe, let me know.  Especially if they will fit on 40mm bases.

Sidelines are still full of Cephalyx, I'll get to them soon, just really want to finish the Berserkers to have 8pts for Age of Magic, and the Grymkin stuff.  Spoken to my boy Devon in the States about getting more pill bottle lids to have more stuff ready to go on the side, which means I can start a new unit whilst the newly finished ones are drying/waiting basing stuff.

Finally, just off the workbench, a unit of 12 Viking Archers, mixed feelings about them.  Paintwise, I like them, I went a little heavier on red and yellow than normal, partly because it helps me get over painting them (it hasn't been too bad) and partly to keep them from blending in too much to my Norman Archers, though the beards definitely help.  The mixed feelings arise from the fact I didn't string the bows, but the test one I did with a spare Frostgrave bow snapped over time, and I figured the metal would just bend.  Plus, a few of the other Archer sculpts are holding the bows at an angle that doesn't lend itself to stringing them.  Finally, painted 12 guys, and only 4 count for my Paint All The Vikings project, as well as my #hobbyresolution2019 project.  Still, 12 models added to the painted tally, so all is not for naught.

Viking Archers (Wargames Foundry)

In other news, finally put some models on the table and rolled dice, blooding my Jomsvikings vs. my Normans, commanded by Sarah.  Played the basic scenario to get back into the swing of things, obviously been a while since either of us played, plus it was our first time running our prospective forces.  We called it partway through the 5th turn after a glorious charge from the Mounted Norman Warlord bounced off my hardy Jomsviking Warlord, and he was swiftly cut down.

The Wrath mechanic is definitely interesting, a bit damned if you do, damned if you don't when it comes to forcing your opponent to choose what they let you do.  I'm interested to do more testing with it, although, I think I need to bulk out my force a bit with some Warriors.

So, plan over the next week is to get the Berserkers and Dwarves finished and ready to play.  I'm going to carry the viking colours over to the Dwarves, as they will fight alongside them, rather than replicate the half and half uniform I started when I painted the metals.  Lazy I know, but should work out better overall, they are a Fantasy Dark Age force after all.

Let's be honest, they are just short Vikings right?  (Northstar Miniatures)

That's it for now then, see you next week.

Cheers,

John

#workbenchWednesday 03/07/19

Well the workbench is back to the standard busy state.  I've done all the drybrushing and tidying up the rims on 8 Berserkers, 8 Viking Warriors, 8 Oathmark Dwarves and 12 Viking Archers.  I made a start earlier on the Archers, as well as the Northstar Valkyrie, and have the metals blocked in and inked, the skin blocked in, and I've started work on the cloth.  I'm hoping that by tackling the largest unit first, the rest will seem quicker to do.  Plus, only one of these has a shield to attach.

Bow down before us.

I've also cleaned up the Foundry Dwarf I picked up earlier this year (along with finding his twin and brothers in the attic) a Centaur and the Blood Eagle piece from Footsore Miniatures to use as an objective/marker.  Not content with that, I put together the Godsworn Hunt Underworlds warband, and slapped some paint on a 15mm Cultist whilst waiting on the kids getting dressed.

Pretty much the rest of the years stuff.

So, with the exception of the Northstar Odin model, some Grymkin and my Warband Taurians, that is pretty much everything for my #hobbyresolution2019 projects cleaned, assembled and primed.  I've sorted them all out on to a tray to keep them together, and let me pull them down to the workstation as required.

I did give Odin a wash earlier to remove the release agent on him, but I think I want to do a more in depth look at him in an article.  Hobby progress has slowed slightly due to the kid's summer holidays, but should pick up again next week.

Cheers,

John