Back Down T'Pict

Summer was awful. Far too hot, and I had zero motivation to do anything except read (which was, to be fair, incredibly productive!). But now, with better weather here, my hobby mojo has returned. 

The even better news is that, despite a prolonged dive into Bronze Age history, my enthusiasm for the existing project has not diminished. So, I got onto some more of my spear-armed Footsore Picts that had been languishing in their brown basecoat since March, and slapped some paint on them over a few days.

Painting-wise, no real difference from those that have gone before. Various greens, khakis, and greys, with the only real concern being given to not painting the same model from previous batches in the exact same colours!

I also took the opportunity to take a group shot of what I've painted so far: 

It's not a huge amount (especially considering it's the better part of a year's hobbying!), but doing so, and seeing everything together, has made me even more keen to keep expanding the army. I've got loads of ideas, but we'll see how durable they are in the face of actually have to do something to make them happen!

Next up, most likely, are another druid-type to accompany the Sarumen and a warchief for the Picts. After that, one more unit of spear, and that's probably the last of the Pict-based part of the force for a while. I could be tempted by some javelin-armed light cavalry, perhaps a pack of wolfhounds, but that would involve buying new models - and I'm trying to be good and paint what I have first...

***

Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the products I have discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer or the source I used (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.

More Stones

Completing the stone circle I started recently, here are three more menhirs...

The fallen stone was a happy little accident. Though a tad unconvinced by the size of the thing (that's a 75mm base it's close to spanning), I figured it was better to have and not need than to not have and want - so I started prepping it alongside the smaller stone. Whether I was heavy handed or the print was a bit fragile (or some combination of the two), I managed to snap the stone off its little scenic base. The break was pretty clean, so I decided to make lemonade and sanded one face of the stone flat before gluing it to a base. The hollow stone itself I filled (at least partially) with filler, which also formed the base texture, being built up into a small mound at what used to be the stone's base (at left in the photo above).

Basecoats, various brown and green washes, a smidge of dry-brushing (all as the earlier stones) and a bit of static grass and tufts, and I called it a day.

While these standing (and reclining) stones are hardly a significant work of terrain-building, I have really rather enjoyed working on them and might have caught a bit of the terrain bug. Perhaps not so much in terms of planning my own building projects (yet!), but definitely in the value and impact of having some thematic terrain to accompany an army.

Speaking of which... work on the soldiers of the Old Faith continues - six more spearmen are under the brush right now, with six more in the distance. I had originally thought to focus on a different unit type for a break, but the models I had originally earmarked for that aren't really resonating for me at present... while the simple - but beautiful - Footsore Picts are just screaming "paint me!"...

*** 

Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the products I have discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer or the source I used (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.

Monolith! What's it called? Monolith!

Alongside the couple of druid-types I painted recently, I decided to produce some themed terrain for the Old Faith army. And what could be more appropriate than some menhirs or standing stones?

These are 3D prints that I found from a company called HeadBunny Games, and were offered in 15mm, 20mm, and 28mm. As my preference is for a slightly lower fantasy tone, I picked up both the 15mm and 20mm options - and I'm glad I did! Even at these smaller scales, the stones are really quite large - I think the 28mm ones would have been huge!

Painting was simple - a range of greys, and a few different brown and green washes. I did consider adding some lichen, similar to what I'd done on the tree-man, but opted for the green ink instead to keep the effect more subtle. I actually wish I'd gone harder on the green, as I think the effect is somewhat lost.

I've got another three based up and ready to get painted, so I should have a nice little stone circle by the time I've finished.

*** 

Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the products I have discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer or the source I used (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.

Repurposed Sarumans... Sarumen?

So, work on the Old Faith army stalled a little after the initial burst of Christmas productivity - not because I've lost enthusiasm for the project (quite the opposite!), but because I wasn't particularly inspired by the models I'd planned on painting next. After a pause to take stock, I opted to work on some character models to keep things going while I figured out where I wanted to take the army.

Druid-types were a must for this force, and my aim is to eventually have a dedicated spellcasting unit of six. I found a couple of cheap Lord of the Rings Saruman models on eBay that were perfect for the look I wanted. A different paint-job would do most of the work in terms of moving away from the classic Christopher Lee vibes, but I also decided to replace the distinctive staffs with simple metal rods.

This first one is Saruman in his incarnation as Sharkey from the Scouring of the Shire. It's one of my favourite models from the entire range, but I'd never painted it before. The original staff was bent double, so replacing it was a necessity - drilling into the crook of the arm took a while, but the folds of the cloak and some green-stuff work tidied things up nicely.

Another Saruman - I think the original sculpt for the character. For both models, I opted for off-white robes beneath green cloaks, which I thought would be enough to step away from the original character depictions. Here, however, I kept the white beard and, in hindsight, I wish I'd made him a redhead or something to differentiate it further. I'm leaving it for now - I'll see if it annoys me enough to repaint!

*** 

Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the products I have discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer or the source I used (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.

More Pict Pike

Following on from the last batch of pike-wielding Picts, I finished off the rear-rankers for an eventual 12-man schiltron in full-size games of Dragon Rampant. More likely, I'll pair three of these and three of the front-rankers in each of two of the half-size units we typically field.

As with the previous lot, these are all from Footsore, with the drill-out hands that I love. That said, a lesson learned - drill out the hands before gluing to bases. The helmeted guy, who will nominally be a unit commander in the full block of 12, was intended to have an upright spear, but I just couldn't get an angle that would accommodate it. The more casual pose was permitted by repurposing what should have been a shield hand, and while it suits the character, it does make ranking him up a bit of a chore!

So, the forces of the Old Faith are coming along nicely.

I'm not sure what's next up. As noted in the previous blog, I don't fancy painting another dozen Picts right away, even though I have the models - so I think it's time for a bit of shopping...

*** 

Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the products I have discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer or the source I used (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.