What I've been doing recently, a painting and modelling log...

[Raven Morpheus]

Spent another couple of hours this evening finishing off the Cult of the Possessed's Mutant, so that's the warband completed.

Photos -

Group shot, front and rear -

I'm very happy with the Mutant. My highlights are a bit subtle in places, and also a bit iffy in places, the slightly over exposed photos don't help, my photos just don't seem to do him justice...



Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Punktaku]

I’m no fan of Nurgle, but he is a nice looking model.

 

[Greyhart]

Like @Punktaku I'm not a Nurgle fan, but the mutant looks great and the warband is excellent.

I really need to go back to Mordheim..

 

[Raven Morpheus]

Having one of those nights again where I can't sleep...

So, I sat back at the table for about 30 minutes and put together the models to represent my gaming buddy's Dwarf Treasure Hunters warband for Mordheim. The last (first and only) game we had he ended up using all sorts of figures, Nurgle Plague Marines, an Inquisitor, although he did use one Dwarf he had (some ancient thing from the 80s) and my WHQ '95 Trollslayer, so I thought it might be better if we have more wysiwyg figures for the warband.


Sometimes my mobile phone's camera actually takes pretty good photos...


GW Runelord, i.e. a Noble, i.e. the warband leader. My gaming buddy equipped him with a double handed hammer, so I took the end off the double handed hammer part (which is meant for the left arm) and stuck it on the end of the hammer on the right arm, et voila, double handed hammer. I gave him the flaming bit of metal in tongs hand because I feel it looks more Mordheim-esque (the original GW metal Dwarf Treasure Hunters could be fitted with a hand carrying a torch) -

GW Cogsmith (which is now oop), i.e. an Engineer. Technically his weaponry is not wysiwyg, as my gaming buddy armed him with a mace and crossbow, but he'll have to do, at least he looks like an Engineer. The original model comes with some gubbins on his back, some kind of rune banner or somesuch, I removed that because I feel it wouldn't really fit with the Mordheim theme, I left the brace of pistols on there though, even though my gaming buddy hasn't armed him as such -

Two Ironbreakers, i.e. Clansmen, these are almost wysiwyg, technically they shouldn't be wearing any armour -

I'm waiting on a metal GW WFB Dwarf Thunderer to fall through the door, and the final member of the warband is a Trollslayer so as already mentioned we use my WHQ '95 Trollslayer.

There's a little bit of fettling to do, like remove the sprue attachment stub on the Clansman's hammer, and I may attack the pole between the pistols on the back of the Engineer a little more, if only to tidy up the cut end.

These shouldn't take too long to paint, mostly Vallejo Metal Color Steel, Copper and Gold. Should be a relatively short job...



Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Brendan Flynn]

You know it wouldn't be a stretch for your skills to turn the engineers weapons into a mace and crossbow. The gun with two sets of crossbow arms (a double shot crossbow) and add some blades coming out at different angles to make a bladed mace. Not a huge conversion and I think your buddy would be very appreciative, and I would be interested to see what you come up with.

The brace of pistols is very cool and something your buddy should shell out some ill gotten gain for asap. That is gonna be a sweet band when its done.

 

[Punktaku]

Hee hee “short job” I see what you did there.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

You know it wouldn't be a stretch for your skills to turn the engineers weapons into a mace and crossbow.

Yeah, it would. I don't have any materials or parts apart from styrene stock, and traditionally I've not been very good at shaping styrene. Making curved crossbow arms would be a faff and I have no idea how to approach it without carving them out of a square rod or using bows from the Frostgrave Cultists, which wouldn't look right anyhow. The closest part I have to a mace is the Deathwing maces, and I don't think that'd look right on a Dwarf, barely looks right on the CotP Magister.

I think I'll leave the Engineer as he is, lest I make a hash of it, he wasn't expensive to buy, but also wasn't cheap, and he's oop...

 

[Raven Morpheus]

Spent about 45 minutes at the table tonight, I gave up as I'm not in a painting mood, for reasons...


The OG GW WFB Dwarf Thunderer dropped through the door today -

On all 5 Dwarfs I blocked in a black undercoat on areas that I know need it, using a brush rather than airbrush, as these models require more than one undercoat colour. I wasn't aware the Noble's armour below his beard is metal so I need to block that in black also, and given the colours I'll use, I think I can block out the majority of the remaining unpainted areas with black -

Going to check references before proceeding further though, just to get what/how I'm painting details right in my head, some of it's obvious, some not.


For the 2 heroes I have GW's original photos to refer to courtesy of miniset.net (the Runelord's photos are also on GW's site as he's not oop).


The Clansmen are fairly low detail, it's mostly just steel with gold trim, and their beards.


The Dwarf Thunderer is from 6th edition and was released in January 2001, and I was struggling earlier to pick out some of the details, my photos above have helped with that now.

I found an image in the 6th edition WFB Dwarf army book that is a little more helpful, although it doesn't show the back of him, GW very rarely showed the back of a miniature back then -

Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Punktaku]

I love playing Dwarves in RPGs, but didn’t like them in WFB. They do look like a fun group of models you have there.

 

[Brendan Flynn]

Okay I guess I will accept that you want to get cracking on the paint job and your right not to risk a really nice miniature to an iffy conversion. Your buddy should alter his list to match the mini after you going to all the trouble of putting them together.

Oh by the way I use bronze staples to make my crossbow arms and usually the original weapon stock itself as the base, not that I think you should, that would be wrong of me to belabor the point.

Just kidding Raven it really isn't a big thing for your buddy to alter his list a little to match the miniature or just play it as is. After all it is the essence of the miniature that counts and that guy screams engineer. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

I had a bit of a "second wind" or whatever term you want to use, and decided to press on with the Dwarf Treasure Hunters, probably helped by the fact I'm not sleeping until stupid o'clock at the moment...

Progress -

So, that's all parts that need to be steel, painted with Vallejo Metal Color Steel. I also painted the parts that need to be gold with the steel, just to pick them out for the moment. The beards are going to be white (yes all of them), so I picked them out with Citadel Corax White, you can't see it in the photo, but up close the beards are a bit untidy in places, hopefully I can tidy them up in due course. The blue is Citadel Kantor Blue.

Getting there, I need to turn some of the steel into gold, paint the few skin areas there are, paint a ring on the Noble's hand that I missed when blocking out stuff in black, paint Citadel Rhinox hide on the areas I want to be leather, a few other bits (like weapon handles), then start applying washes and highlights.

I'm hoping I haven't applied too much paint to the beards though, as they're not very well defined in places, especially around the metal bands in them. A common issue with GW plastics I find.

I haven't picked out the trim around the bottom of the Thunderer's coat yet, I am not sure if I want it steel, copper or gold, and I forgot about it anyway whilst doing the steel, his boots may also get painted Rhinox hide instead of being steel...

Green stuff cobblestone bases need making and painting also...


Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Brendan Flynn]

They already look the business, very stunty, very competant. Five is a pretty small band in Mordhiem isint it? Is that due to getting good armour and equipment?

 

[Raven Morpheus]

They already look the business, very stunty, very competant. Five is a pretty small band in Mordhiem isint it? Is that due to getting good armour and equipment?

Thanks. My gaming buddy gave the Noble heavy armour. There is also a Trollslayer in the warband, we use this figure that I painted a while back - https://yaktribe.games/community/th...ng-and-modelling-log.11222/page-6#post-274749

 

[Brendan Flynn]

Ah the obligatory slayer, or slavering loony as they are often described, behind their backs of course, no sense courting their displeasure.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

I'm in one of those states (not Kansas) at the moment where insomnia is killing my ability/enthusiasm to build or paint anything...

...so, I've been taking another trip down nostalgia lane...


...I have several GW nostalgia projects on the go at the moment, in various stages of "completeness", there is however one "holy grail" down GW nostalgia lane that I've wanted to get into for a while, but haven't yet...


...trust me, this is going to be Epic!



One game I wish I had got into "back in the day" was Epic 40k, because, titans!

4th edition Epic, Epic Armageddon, was put up for free on GW's now defunct Specialist Games website. It is now available at https://www.net-armageddon.org/rules.html and other sites affiliated with the tournament scene, along with other rules, official and fan made, and other stuff for the game.

It's not quite as "full" as 1st, 2nd or 3rd edition Epic, i.e. some units didn't make it into Epic Armageddon, like the Chaos Lord of Battles, but I'm OK with that.

So, I'ma gonna start an Epic Armageddon project. It looks relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, although adding multiple titans may make it prohibitively expensive...

I already have a 3000 point starter army worked out for Armageddon Steel Legion (which also served as generic Imperial Guard in the rulebook).

• It seems that I can buy Steel Legion looking troopers (also Space Marines, Chaos, Eldar and Orks) from vanguardminiatures.co.uk - https://vanguardminiatures.co.uk/shop/novan-regulars-industrial-wastes-infantry/
• I can buy IG tanks from Scourge Scenics (they also do Ork vehicles) - https://www.scourgescenics.co.uk/shop/product-category/6mm-epic/imperial6/imperial-vehicles
• I've bought a set of card terrain from the 2nd edition Epic expansion Titan Legions - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255994304044?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160811114145&meid=36fb8025ccab4421a34fea8634743d53&pid=100667&rk=3&rkt=8&sd=115313236807&itm=255994304044&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=2351460&brand=Games+Workshop&_trksid=p2351460.c100667.m2042

I can scan the terrain and print/cut out some more if needed, which is more than likely.

I can also make use of my adeptus flyaroundicus wings of whatever starter set Imperial Navy Thunderbolts (and the Ork aircraft).

I've also bought a discounted Adeptus Titanicus Reaver titan, from an ebayer, it'll need all 3 weapons swapped to be wysiwyg though.


The opposing starter force will be Orks, I have a 3000 point force worked out and I'll buy the models from the aforementioned sources...



What was it I said in January about curtailing spending...



Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

So, continuing on with the Epic theme...

To go with the Titan Legions set of buildings (the Imperial one's, the Ork one's may never get used) that I bought yesterday which I'll scan and may make more of, I'm also considering making some ruined walls/corners/quads out of 5mm thick XPS foam.

I'll be basing them on 3rd edition Epic buildings seen in White Dwarf battle reports, like these in WD #208, April 1997. They were also seen in the Epic Armageddon rulebook. They were plastic ruins included in the 3rd ed. box set, but XPS will be perfect for making similar one's these days, although not quite as detailed -

I've made myself a template, as usual, so that's a start. The template is only one 2 storey wall, that's all I need, the blue lines are where 5mm thick "buttresses" will go. The walls, if complete and not ruined, will be 40mm high and 101.6mm wide (or 4 inches in old money), obviously I can join (or cut out) walls to make 4 storey buildings or walls, floors will be 1mm cardstock -

I'm not entirely sure how well the windows and the doorway will cut out, given they are so small, but I can only try. I'd like to use a stamp or something, as I could push it through the XPS, but I doubt I'd find such a tool.


20 buildings (or equivalent terrain pieces) on a 6 x 4 table seems to be the general density of terrain judging by the battle reports I've seen online, but these, and the Titan Legions cardstock buildings, should be very quick to make, so that's not a problem.


Does seem that I spend more time planning these days than actually doing...




Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

I managed to feel like sitting at the table this evening...

Seems March is Mordheim building month!


Less than 2 hours later -

That's another three buildings for Mordheim. I got the base sizes correct this time though (6.5 inches square-ish), so, these don't have the slight problem the building I built previously does - it tips over forwards if you knock the top of the roof (when I get some more XPS foam I shall probably add a wider base to it)...

I had to use 10mm XPS for one of the building's bases. And I ran out of the stone wall textured XPS (besides too small sized off cuts) after making 4 walls, so the other ground floor walls will have to be timbered, although all buildings will get stone quoins.

I believe I have enough XPS off cuts the right size left over to make a 4th building, although it will have to be missing a ground floor side, so it'll be more of a corner ruin. The base may also not be ideal as it's one of the 3mm-ish packing sheets that came either side of my 5mm XPS foam sheets.

I am low on Zap-a-gap CA glue so I used a hot glue gun to put these together. It's just as effective.


Obviously these are just bare shells at the moment, I need to coat them in Mod Podge, put the quoins on the ground floor corners, ruin the ends of the walls, timber them, put roofs on, make the floors (not necessairily in that order) and then paint them.

I want to get the dremel out to do the ruining on the wall ends, so further progress on these will have to wait until another day, not stupid o'clock at night...


Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.

 

[Punktaku]

You could also add a bit of weight to the base on the side opposite of the way it tips to try and stabilize it. Maybe some ruined wall or a couple actual rocks?

 

[Raven Morpheus]

You could also add a bit of weight to the base on the side opposite of the way it tips to try and stabilize it. Maybe some ruined wall or a couple actual rocks?

Tried that. Short of hiding some coinage on the opposite edge that idea is a non-starter, plus it makes putting miniatures in there a little more awkward.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

So, I couldn't sleep, so I went back down for about an hour or so and built another building shell for Mordheim...

It needs a bit more work than the other 3. The base, as suspected, is a bit iffy due to it being thin and not of the same quality as the XPS sheets (because it's the packing). So that'll get replaced/made thicker when I get some more XPS.

I used some of the remains of my Zap-a-gap CA glue, to fit this together, I should have fired up my hot glue gun again, as that is actually more effective although perhaps not as neat - because you have to wait for the CA glue to sink in and melt the XPS. Being tired I got impatient...

I need to chop off one corner of the upper level where I had to move the wall inwards and the ground floor corner on the same side needs a little bit of work also, although I might get away with that as the quoin might hide it...


Anyhow, once complete that'll be 5 new buildings, to go with 4ish Battle Systems buildings, and copies of the 5 OG GW Mordheim cardstock buildings...


Thanks as always for looking, C&C welcome.