A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy...

I finally succeeded in getting my hands on a Star Wars Legion Clone Wars core set. It had eluded me for ages, so I am quite happy to have secured a copy.

I have absolutely NO hobby time to spend at the moment, but I think that when I do I shall start playing some smaller skirmishes, using the Fistful of Lead Galactic Heroes rules, so that I can paint and use single minis without the need for completing an entire squad each time I want to use new models.

I am beginning to have hobby withdrawal symptoms, but I have to keep working on getting the house and garden ready for Lea's covid-delayed confirmation celebration, even though I really want to start using the new painting desk.

Painting Pirates for Åcon: The Chinaman

Well, I was, but I just learned today that the Pirate game at Åcon is cancelled...

But here is the Oriental part of Captain Etton's crew.

There is something wrong with his forehead in this pic, I have to check if it is an actual painting error or just a speck of dust.

I have another two WIPs, but, frankly, my motivation for painting them has vanished into thin hot air, and next week or so I think I am going to spend most of my leisure time working on the driveway.

Ooops, I just noticed that I forgot to paint the buckle! Well, he will go back on the pain(t) station at a later point.

Here is the entire crew so far. I wonder if it will ever grow any further...

From this picture it is clear to me, that the thing on the Chinaman's forehead in the first pic must have been dust - or perhaps a bit of flock. Well, well...

Painting Pirates for Åcon: The Marksman

A former plantation slave, Eagle-Eye the native South American took to buccaneering before signing up with Captain Etton.

He is deadly with the musket, but always brings a knife to a gunfight (just in case).

Artizan Designs Buccaneer.

Painting Pirates for Åcon: Setting the Mood

I am getting ready for Åcon. The bottle is, of course, solely for reference purposes 😏

Painting Pirates for Åcon: The Fencer

Some of you may have wondered about all those vacation posts. Well, here is why I have had nothing else to show; I have been cleaning and painting minis for a Bring-and-Battle Pirate  game at Åcon 2020, an annual private gaming event in a Summer Cabin garden in Esbjerg.

Here is the first one - a Black Cat Bases fencer I got in a mystery bag deal many years ago.

I have not come up with a name for him, yet, but I imagine him coming from a wealthy family, getting into bad company, and then being disinherited by his father - leading him into a life of crime in order to uphold his dandy lifestyle.

Somehow he ended up as part of Captain Etton's crew, and here he plays the part of the archetypal swashbuckler (although he always brings a gun to a swordfight, just in case).

Frodo's Quest: Black Rider

Some days ago, I finished painting up this mounted Nazgûl, and I used it as my second entry for the Modern Fantasy Painting Party at LAF.

After finishing the base, I realized that I can relatively easy bevel the edges of the upper layer (MDF pill-shaped base from Sarissa Precision) for a less obtrusive base edge, and I shall be doing that from now on (this was my first attempt at this kind of base, And as usual, I learn on the go).

Next up for Frodo's Quest are som members of the Silent Watch, and then I shall have to finish painting some 3D-printed Smials.

Frodo's Quest: Frodo Baggins

Yesterday, I finished painting Frodo, and I used him as my first entry for the Modern Fantasy Painting Party at the LAF.

I am already painting my next entry, and as this particular Painting Club runs for 200 entries, I think I should be able to get another couple of minis done before it closes.

He is part of my 'Contrast Paints Trial', and only the skin and metal (and base) were painted using traditional paints.

I now just have to finish one Black Rider, and paint some 3D-printed Smials, and I shall be ready to test run my planned first scenario of Frodo's Quest (I kinda forgot what rules I was going to use, but I remember the general outlines and shall cook something up).

Frodo's Quest: Samwise Gamgee

I have not given up on my 'little' side project, it was just on pause like everything else from last summer until recently.

Sam is now ready to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Rivendell - and beyond!

This mini was painted primarily with Citadel Contrast Paints, although some details were done with normal layering (metal, skin, and the backpack, mainly).

He was varnished, first with Citadel 'Ardcoat, then Humbrol Matt Acrylic Varnish, both brush-on.

As mentioned in my first post about this project, I think that Contast Paints are best suited for plastic minis, but as I started Frodo and Sam this way, I am also going to finish them. Later metal additions to the project will be painted the conventional way, leaving the Contrast Paints for the plastics.

 And here a shot of both the finished minis so far:

Next week I shall probably start finishing in-the-flesh Frodo (I start my five nights work period tomorrow, so I shall not be able to spend much time at the pain(t) station before then).

Frodo's Quest: First Mini 'Finished'

Not much painting to do on this one, but I thought I would show it, anyway.

I expect to have one or two additional finished models (Frodo and Sam in corporeal form) ready within the next week or so (I have a lot to do on the job front the rest of this week, and we are going to Horsens Medieval Festival Friday to Sunday).

I have not yet decided on a rule set to use for the Frodo's Quest campaign, but I think I shall try to design the scenarios in a way that they can be played with whatever ruleset I like - even solo and/or with a GM managing the bad guys.

The first scenario will feature Frodo and Sam trying to sneak away from Hobbiton, while a Black Rider tries to intercept them, and a couple of members of the Silent Watch may interfere. I have it all in my head, I just need to get the minis ready for the table, and some terrain painted up, before I write down the details.

Frodo's Quest: 3D Printed Smials - and then Some!

I have been printing some copies of one of the 'Small Entrances' for Modular Gaming Hills, as well as some hill pieces to go with them, by Terrain4Print on Thingiverse, and I have now prepped and primed the first pieces for painting. I shall need some flower tufts for this, methinks.

I have also slabbed some more Contrast Paint on Frodo and Sam. My experience so far is that this kind of painting is probably best reserved for plastics, as they have fewer small surface imperfections to disrupt the paint - but I shall see this little project through, as the minis are spares I thought I could just as well experiment on.

The rangers are also getting a little attention, now and then, and I have removed the excess sand after taking this photo. I may find time to treat them to a coat of Wraithbone Contrast Undercoat, so that I can try out the effects on that, too.

LotR: Frodo's Quest - Heroes and Villains

I have been doing some work on my 'little' side project each day this week, and of course I have some progress to show for it.

Today, I rebased a couple of them rangers that I need for the first scenario I am planning (I actually considered getting some of the ranger minis done by North Star for Rangers of Shadow Deep, but common sense prevailed, and I went for some of the minis I already own).

I also for the first time rebased a cavalry model onto one of the pill-shaped MDF/washer cavalry bases I have constructed - one of The Nine, searching the Shire for Baggins.

I also cleaned up, based, and primed some spare copies of Frodo and Sam (from the first Fellowship boxed set) that I have from one of the second hand lots I bought years ago.

I primed them white because I am going to paint them with Contrast Paints, to try those out, but I have already realized that some colours will have to be done with traditional paints - especially the skin, as the Contrast Paint skin colours end up way too dark (the photo shows the colours somewhat less dark than they appear in the flesh, so to speak.

I used Darkoath Flesh on Sam, and Guilliman Flesh on Frodo; neither with a satisfactory result. I never the less expect to be able to paint most of both minis with the Contrast Paints, apart from the skin and the metal parts.

I am going to paint Frodo's dagger as normal steel, not glowing blue, as in the movies he did not receive Sting, and the Mithril shirt from Bilbo until meeting him in Rivendell (I cannot recall if Bilbo left him those items in Bag End in the book, I shall have to read the books once more  to brush up on the trivia).

2019-08-06: Age of Fantasy Skirmish AAR

Emil and I duked it out in the garage attic once more - he playing the staunch defenders of Gondor, and I the devious Goblin horde.

We played the standard 4 Rounds.

We rolled only 3 objectives this time, and Emil won the deployment roll-off.

The first couple of photos show the table before deployment (almost - we had just begun placing units when I remembered to pull out the camera).

The next three pics show the forces deployed.

This photo I snapped to make sure that all Objective Counters were shown (there is one in the ruined throne room upper center right).

In Round 1 both forces sped forward - I was able to secure two Objectives, while Emil took the last.

In Round 2, the fighting commenced. The Gondorian wizard hit one of my Trolls with a Fireball which left it flat on its back. My Shaman failed horribly to cast Glare on the enemy Wizard.

I could not defend the Troll, and he was quickly dispatched at the beginning of Round 3. My other Troll took its place, was also hit by a Fireball, but shook off most of the effect. My Shaman failed another casting attempt.

Early in Round 4 it became clear that Emil could not shift the Goblins from any of the two Objectives I held, and we agreed to call it a day, with a 2-1 win for the Moria horde. Before that, my Shaman actually managed to Glare the Wizard, and managed to inflict a whooping 3 hits (on 2d6), and one of those was saved, leaving the Wizard to cast another spell.

The game could have gone either way, but I succeeded in taking and holding the two Objectives closest to my side of the table with the majority of my warband. I need to think up some alternative scenarios, though, as the game may get a bit samey.