A Quick Note

 If you're wondering:

• I'm alive.
• I'm mostly well.
• I'm still gaming.

This blog has languished, like many (if not most) others. I'm sorry about that, for those of you who are still out there checking in on blogs.

I've actually been very busy with gaming, especially painting. I got back into Warhammer 40K just in time to have them change editions on me. But still, I have painted dozens of Warhammer minis this year, and will continue to do more.

I'm in two online games these days, one on Mondays where we are currently playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Ed., and one on alternate Thursdays, where we are playing Starfinder. I am the GM for the WFRP game, and a PC in the Starfinder.

My historical gaming has expanded some as well, especially in Flames of War 4. Lots of Germans painted up, and working on (kind of half-heartedly) British Airborne. I even work on my USMC troops sometimes (though they are stuck in FOW3).

I have a LOT of photos of stuff I have painted this year. I will try to get some of them uploaded soon.

Take care, ladies and gents.

Recent Painting/Basing

Just some recently finished bits and pieces.

3x Panzer IVs with various gun options.

Plastic, Battlefront Miniatures

Fiat Cr.32 "Chirri" for the Nationalists in Spanish Civil War

1:100 by Minairons

It's a cool piece but a little fiddly to put together.

Goblin Pyros for Pathfinder

Reaper Bones

Trying out New Contrast Paints

   I usually use Vallejo paints, but I thought I would give the new contrast paints a try. I am using the Goliath gangers from the Necromunda Underhive boxed set as my test subjects.I went with flesh, because they have a good deal of it showing.

Guilliman Flesh over Flat White base

White spray, Strong Tone wash, Guilliman Flesh Contrast paint

Did this based on a Twitter post

Rear view of above.

Guilliman Flesh Contrast over flat white base

   I was skeptical but it seems to work fairly well. I usually use a black basecoat, though, so I guess the next step is to try it over with that.

Recently Finished Minis

   I haven't done a lot of painting this past month, because of other projects (more on that later), but I did finish a few things a week or so back that I haven't shared, so... here they are, I suppose.

WIP Shot of a piece of jungle terrain. Also the Velociraptors

And the finished piece. I quite like the weathered detailing that was sculpted on it.

This piece is from Fenris Games, along with some of the other bits of stonework in this post.

Terrain for Frostgrave

 The statue is a Bones mini of Ezren, the Iconic Wizard from Pathfinder.

The plinth is from Fenris Games.

Just painted in my usual stone method and added some Valhallan Blizzard.

(That stuff is the bomb. I need more pots to save for when GW inevitably discontinues it).

Reaper Bones Velociraptor and Spike Shells; Fenris Games Runestone

Closeup of the Spike shells, really ought to take better photos.

Another runestone from Fenris, and the ancient Toad from Talisman. 

I've had this mini for probably 20 years, maybe longer. Finally just did it.

   I have some big pieces that I finished this week that I will take proper photos of and post later this week. Maybe. You'll know why I have been so distracted soon, I promise.

Works in Progress

  A few shots of some of the things on the paint table right now. The giant mammoth man is from the Reaper Bones IV Kickstarter. The Van Saar gangers are from the boxed set by GW. The Pathfinder Goblin pyromaniacs are also Reaper Bones but not from the Kickstarter.

Barely started...

Still a good ways from finished.

Not really happy with the wash I chose so I am going to go back and redo that bit.

Plan to do the tusks last.

Closeup. Going for a black bodystocking with light gray armoured plates.

Energetic items are blue-green (eye lenses, power sources, high tech pony tails, etc.)

Some metals will be bronze, most weapons will be matte black.

Working on these not-really-all-that-little guys I realize how bad my eyes are getting.

A bit sad about that. Oh well, that's why I have a magnifier visor I guess.

More Pledge Trouble

Still not too bad - I just got four Reaper Bones figures while I was in Austin last week.

Of course, I haven't painted anything yet this year...

Painting at Last

   I have spent a good bit of time over the past week getting some Marines painted, finally! I managed to knock out six command stands - basically all the infantry and support command for the entire army I am planning to be able to field. I also have most (7/9) of a rifle platoon (one of two) and the whole 81mm mortar support platoon painted. Based. Clear coated. Done.

   Boy, does that feel good. And I have the heavy machinegun platoon and the rest of the rifle platoon primed already... maybe by next week I can say I have finished three platoons of the USMC project.

81mm Mortar Platoon

BAR Squad

More BAR squads

   All the figures so far are Peter Pig. I do have a few pieces of Battlefront, mainly the vehicles. Of those, only the Corsair is painted and done. I've had troubles with the LVT (4) transports - even after they sent me replacement hulls. The tracks are messed up, right in the front over the drive sprockets. I may just have to grit my teeth and bear it. I also used some of a box set of Honeys that were originally slated for my 8th Army and painted a pair of them in dark green. Once I apply a few decals, then I will have two M3 Stuarts to bolster my troops. Even though it only has a 37mm gun, compared to Japanese armour, the M3 Stuart is a killer. Plus, you get that lovely canister round. Just the thing for breaking up a banzai charge.

   I will be buying some Battlefront infantry eventually. I need the assault engineer section, some AT guns, the war dogs (!), and a few other bits and bobs. Plus, I want to put together a SeaBee platoon, complete with their D7 armoured bulldozer, partly in tribute to my good buddy Jim, a retired SeaBee Senior Chief.

Back to the Table

   I have returned to the painting table in a limited fashion over the past week or so, after months of being away from it. As you can see in the sidebar, I have a goodly number of things in the works. I haven't any photos as the only operable camera I have is my phone and the light wasn't good enough to get a decent snap. I'll try to add piccies later this week, alright?

   The nine tanks are for Flames of War, my British 8th Army forces. Almost finished with them, actually - just a bit of weathering to do on the decals and they are done. With these finished, I will have an additional three platoons of tanks to go with my existing Grant and Honey platoons. About seventeen tanks in all, essentially all support for my infantry company.

   The two India Pattern Carriers are nearly done as well, and are also for my Indian Infantry Company. I've misplaced their pintle-mounted Brens, but I was planning on using them as command vehicles or observer vehicles anyway. I think they need a whip antenna instead. Just need to add the antenna, paint up a couple of crew for each, and paint the attached bases, flock them a bit, that sort of thing.

   The force-field pylons come from the Macragge box set for W40k. I will buy them if you have more. Zach found these at a game store we rarely frequent, in their random bits for sale box. He snapped them up for me. I use them for sci fi and VSF both: anti-dinosaur energy fences are a must have for the well-heeled safari on Venus.

   The Flea is an old mini I have had banging around for years. Nothing new there! It's the FLE-15 Ral Partha sculpt 20-805. So far, it's primed black. I have to go back and check which color scheme I was using on the light mech lance some years ago.

   The 15mm sci-fi trader and the vending bots are mostly just scatter designed for my Gruntz table. The trader may become a faction commander if I ever get there with him. The bots are headed towards opposite ends - one Coke red and one Pepsi blue. I may repaint the yellow one I did a year or so back to be a taco vendor or something. Maybe go with a red, white, and green scheme? Or just paint TACOS on the signage. That would be easier. These minis are from The Ion Age.

   Anyway, a quick update on what I have been doing. It feels good to be getting something done again. Also, I have a game weekend this week, playing the North African FOW campaign again this Saturday. Last time I went 1-1. This week I want two Allied victories. Now if I can just keep the DAK from rolling up a Tiger as a Firestorm unit...

Matilda IIs on the horizon!

   I actually cleaned up three Battlefront Matilda IIs for my British 8th Army forces. They are currently in my spray booth drying from the initial coat of British Desert Armour spray.

   It's like I am painting or something again. I will keep you all posted as to the progress - I am sure everyone is glued to their desk chair, rapt in awe and wonder at the magnificence promised. /sarcasm

   But seriously, I will post photos as soon as I get them finished. Might be in a day or two, even, which is bloody quick for me.

Hegemony Marines (15mm Scifi)

   Finally, some photos that I can share! These are the first units of human 15mm sci-fi that I have finished. I am planning on using them with Gruntz rules. I also have at least one other human faction to paint (and a few of these guys left), plus another alien faction, and more Chuhuac to finish up. Oh, and I am working on Lead Painter's League, too.

   Here they are. These are a unit of notoriously ruthless soldiers, in service of the Sirian Hegemony, the Hegemony Marines. I have some others that are painted up as an elite unit, the "Redcaps," but you can't see them just yet.

   The figures are Khurasan's Control Battalion. I painted them a nicely menacing black with white carapace armour over the upper torso, neck, and head. So far I have two full rifle squads with squad attachments and two mortar teams painted up and ready to go. Working on some command, an FO team, and one more squad. I also have, as mentioned before, one squad of the Redcaps.

Things are happening around here...

...I promise!

   Working on several projects. Lots of Dystopian Wars Federated States ships. Got a good bit of 15mm sci-fi in hand, working on painting it up now.

   I promise I will start putting more pictures up.

   But first I have to get set for the Lead Painters' League competition. It's on the Lead Adventurers' Forum. I entered last year but didn't do very well. This year I hope to improve on my somewhat sad finish. The first three entries are submitted, and the competition officially starts next Saturday. Please go check it out. Lots of great painting, and mine is there too.

   I need to consider what to paint for the Round 5 bonus and Round 10 bonus. Round 5 I need to have some sort of non-equine animal. Five of them. That earns me bonus points. Putting five riders on them gets me an additional batch of bonus points. So I am thinking riders. I have:

• 25mm gashants for Space: 1889
• 15mm Savannah Lords (crocodiles) on woolly rhinos (Khurasan)
• 15mm Salamen on terror birds (also Khurasan)
• 25mm frog warriors on giant toads (Eureka)
• 28mm savage orc boar boyz - need to purchase

   For Round 10 the bonus theme is women. I have very few female figures, and what I have got, don't make a cohesive 'team' as required by the rules. So my thoughts are these:

• 25mm Amazon types.
• 15mm Sisters of Battle proxies
• 25mm frogs (from Eureka), painted in feminine colors.
• Maybe some kind of Warmachine female unit? Cygnar by preference.

What is the collective wisdom of the tribe?

LPL Update

   So, a brief progress report, for those of you interested. I have finished two of my first three teams to enter the Lead Painter's League painting contest. The third team, which is actually the First Round team, is almost done. I just need to do a bit of touch up and finish their bases. Quite exciting stuff.

  Unfortunately, one of the rules is that I am not allowed to show pictures until after the team has had their round. So, although I have gotten about twenty 25mm minis painted (minimum team size is 5, but I painted some extras, too) in the past week or so, I can't show them to you. I can show you one big thing that is not going in the competition, or I could if I had taken a photo already. Tomorrow, okay?

Paint Table Turnover

   Having just finished a few bits of 15mm and 6mm scale stuff, the table was actually clear of minis for a few minutes. This will never do! So, I decided to rest my eyes for a bit and work on larger things. Now appearing on the paint table are:

Ork Dreadnought

(Games Workshop 40K)

   This fellow is destined to be a German VSF Walker. It's primary use is forest clearance, hence the big saw and claw which are permanent fixtures. However, it has two waist mounted hardpoints which permit the addition of weaponry "for self-defense against the primitives of Venus," according to the official statement of the Venusstaadt government.

Masked Minions with Flamethrowers

(Parroom Station)

   I love Bob Charette's Masked Minions. I already have 30-odd of them, and these two fellows will increase their firepower. Literally! I was going to paint them in infantry colours (blue) to be able to swap in and out with their rifle-armed fellows. But then I thought they needed a bit of flash, so I went with orange cuffs and collars instead. These devils serve Herr Doktor Professor Otto Maton in his efforts to become Solarian Emperor.

Masked Minions with Diabolical Weapons

(Parroom Station)

   Did I mention how much I like Bob Charette's Minions? These five ne'er-do-wells will fill out a squad of ten minions armed with these diabolical weapons. The weapon itself is, as you can easily see, an electro-galvanic emitter rifle. Does ghastly things to the human (or Martian, Lizardman, Parotfolk, Selenite, etc.) body. And is especially effective against armoured mechanickal devices, as the current blasts around within the metallic shell. Diabolical! (Note, the minion on the right is finished; the one on the left is in process.)

British Infantry

(Empress Miniatures)

   And now to my favorite maker of British Colonial troops in 28mm. The sculpts on these are just awesome, and very clean casts. These have languished for a bit, and I have more to get to as well, but this is a start on getting that second full unit of proper British Redcoats. Only six more to go! These I will prime in white, like I did the others - a departure from my usual black primer, but it helps keep the redcoat nice and bright.

Steam 1 Steamtank

(Ironclad Miniatures)

   This little guy is the second piece in my French forces. I see it as a small scouting tank, sort of the 'torpedo boat' or 'destroyer escort' of landships. Armed with only a machinegun, it's greatest advantage is that it is very light, and doesn't bog down easily. The figure is for scale reference; this tank is only primed so far, and hasn't even had its tracks attached.

More painting finished...

  I know that you have all been awaiting this post with bated breath (not baited, right? That would smell fishy, I think... anyway, sorry about the ADD kicking in there). More painted stuff! Yay!

  I finished up some more Nordlander spearmen, so I took a picture of the unit so far. I just need to paint up three more spearmen and the champion, and they are all currently on the table.

   I also finished two more Combine Ogres, a Mk. I and a Mk. II. The Mk. I was manufactured in the Houston autofac. The Mk. II is out of the autofac near Mexico City, in Toluca. It's designation BTOL led to the nickname "Beetle."

HOU-65-I-22

BTUL-69-II-2, aka "Beetle 2"

"Beetle 2", a Mk. II Ogre.

   SOme more assistance for my fledgling Cygnar Warmachine army. This is a Squire, a very special and really helpful little warjack, although useless in a fight.

   Last of all, a couple of figures for the Lord Curr's Incorrigibles Company for the VSF skirmish game In Her Majesty's Name. These will go along with Mohan Singh, whom I introduced a few days ago.

"Mad Mick" McFarlane

Sam Warburton, 'ard 'un.

Recently finished: Empire, Warmachine, IHMN

Pictures of some of the work I have finished recently:

Mohan Singh, of Lord Curr's Incorrigibles

Musician and Spearman, Nordland

Warmachine Mercenary Gobber. Notice the shorts.

Purple shorts, green skin??? Who is that?

Nordland Artillery

Nordland artillerist

Nordland gunner

Church at Dzibilchaltun, Mayan ruins in the Yucatan.

How did that get in here?

   I'm also working on my Mk. I and Mk. II Ogres, nearing completion, along with more spearmen!

The things to which I have been up...

   Mostly, a lot of painting as I had the chance. Here are the results:

A platoon of Combine Heavy tanks, of the 301st Armor

Company Command tank, 301st Armor.

Note the antenna and the turret number.

I use the old German WWII system, because I like it.

Another view of the Combine Ranger-class heavy tank.

  

Paneuropean Infantry, 16eme Ligne Battalion Command

16eme Ligne Heavy Infantry Platoon

The 16eme Ligne, Paneuropean Infantry

(3 Infantry companies, 1 Heavy Infantry company, Command platoon, two Trucks)

16eme Ligne Heavy Infantry Company

The Royal Canadian Aero Cavalry swoop over the hill...

A VSF Lascannon for German forces

 

Circle Orboros Wold Watcher

Circle Orboros Argus

Aetherbattalion Feldwebel Heydrich

 

   So, anyway, a good deal of painting. I am working on some spearmen for Warhammer Fantasy right now, as well as some more shield gunners, and a Cygnar Squire, as well as part of Lord Curr's Incorrigibles for IHMN. As I finish up some, I will share, of course.