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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Norman Warlord and his Retinue

More, more, more Saga!  I had 9 Gripping Beast Norman Milites left from the big Norman lot I acquired in December, so I figured I'd paint them up. As they are the last of my mounted Normans, I took extra care in painting them up.  I didn't use the AP dip/brush this time, instead opting for an Agrax Earthshade wash.

No painting pegstands with this lot.  I glued them straight on their horses and painted away.  I was going to base the  warlord and his bannerman together but that fizzled when I discovered only one horse and rider fit neatly on a 50mm warlord base.  In the alternate, I'll  keep the warlord and his faithful bannerman a matching pair on the tabletop.

While painting shields on the last two batches of Normans was good practice, I had LBMS shield transfers sitting unused.  So, shields and banner by the always superb LBMS.




I worked the shield colors into the helmets for some of these lads.  That kind of color coordination is probably fantasy but pleasing to the eye.  I also took care in picking up the shield tranfer colors and blending them into the shield rims.  The result is seamless enough that a couple of my friends thought these were scratch-painted!  I should have said, "why of course..." and let them marvel!

I've got a game of Saga on the books for this weekend.  I hope to post up an AAR next week.  All painting and no play makes Monty a dull boy.

39 comments:

  1. Very nice, the shields do look great.

    John

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    1. Thanks John! Hope the weather in MA is better than here. Still snowing and snow covered..arrrrg!

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  2. They do look good Monty, bright, but smashy.

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    1. Thanks Marcus! I've deviated from the Dark Age palette. But if the shield has color, I figured they'd paint the helms in like bright colors! ;-)

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  3. Great looking figures Monty, and you're right, shields and banners are impressive...Impressive, as your yellow, I'm really impressed by this colour in your figures...Oh, one last thing : beautiful bases. In fact, all is perfect!
    All the best,
    Phil.

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    1. Phil, thank you so much! In my 15mm work, I eventually came up with good combo of colors to build a bright yellow.

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  4. Nice job. I do like the shield transfers.

    Color coordinated helmets; haute couture for the dashing Norman nobeleman!

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    1. Lol! I love it! Or in the words of a bearded band from TX, "Every girl is crazy 'bout a sharp dressed Norman!"

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    2. ba-da bing! That's norMAN to you, son.

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  5. Beautifully painted Norman cav, Monty. GB makes some really great figures. Best, Dean

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    1. Thanks Dean! My 28mm experience is quite limited but I'm loving the GB figures and the way they paint up!

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  6. Very nice Normans there Monty :)

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    1. Tamsin! Thanks and belated Birthday wishes! Hope you had a good one!

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  7. Love these guys. Normally I don't like painted helms but these Normans could change my mind :-) I love the striking contrast of the colors that you chose.

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    1. Thanks Gareson! These fellows have been able to shine a bit more than my Vikings, color-wise. Or the Welsh to date.

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  8. I haven't been painting for months. Tonight I will paint at least one figure. You are inspiring lazy painters :)

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    1. Artar! I bet you haven't painted because your life is too full of fun to fit in painting! ;-)

      My sister sent me pictures of a trip through Cappadocia. You have so very much history in your back yard in Turkey!

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    2. I am sure she had greatest experience of her life. Cappadacia is a amazing place. You must see too.
      (You lost the bet because I painted)

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    3. Yes, I want to see it first hand, not just the photos.

      It is below zero and still snowing. I don't have any excuse but to paint! Make sure to post it up when you get a chance.

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  9. They look great and I agree LBM transfers are superb!

    Christopher

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    1. Thanks Christopher! They are the best.

      I'm looking forward to a M & T AAR with your wonderful work one of these days!

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  10. Hi Monty,

    they are top, superb, marvel(ous)!
    you are "Superpainter" Monty! you are unsmasked now;-) another inspired work and experiment with the Agrax "magic"shade thanks for sharing, what band will be the next to enter in your "Paint cave"( the batcave of the Superpainter Monty)?
    Cheers

    Gilles "Average joe painter;-)"

    ps: the Norse gael are a commission for a friend, the pics will be revealed only if he will be ok, I'll take the pics see it with him(stay tuned);

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    1. SuperMonty. Hmmm, doesn't roll quite off the tongue. But I do love my paint cave. As long as my skin doesn't turn white and I start saying "Gollum!" Wait, my skin is awfully pale, thanks to 6 months of winter.

      I hope your friend says yes!

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  11. Superb! You've excelled yourself this time!

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    1. Thanks so much, Rosbif.

      I'm really enjoying the scale! Now, if only I could win a game in Saga, that would be something!

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  12. They are quite beautiful Monty, good luck with the game!

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    1. Thanks Fran! I'll need all the luck I can get today. Win or lose, at least I finally get a warband on the table!

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    1. Thanks RAY! If I'm in a pinch, I might have to call for help from your demi-lancers. ;-)

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  14. Stunning work Monty !!! Very impresive !

    Good luck with tha gaming !

    Best regards Michael

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    1. Michael, I wouldn't be painting Saga if not for your wonderful painting and AARs!

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  15. Very nice batch of figures, Monty. They look great. Your photography is very nice -- I'm learning a lot from your blog. Have you ever tried a 54mm or 90mm figure?

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    1. Oooh, I think I know where you're going. I've never painted larger than 28mm. I wouldn't even know what to do on a scale that big. I suspect you can't cut any corners and it would be a real challenge. But along the same lines, I was thinking of grabbing some fantasy figs just to push the boundaries a little more. Does that count?

      Good luck on your big Saga mashup!

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    2. I've got a box of collector figures from years past -- we should look them over, I'd be happy to give you one to try if you'd like.
      Four of us played here, each with their own figures -- it was fun and interesting. I trust your game went well.

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    3. Thanks Brent! I've got a pretty full painting plate but I'll mull this over. Sometimes, a guy should try something new and out of the comfort zone!

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  16. Impressive as always Monty. Nice thinking on picking up colors from the shield designs and using them in your palette. Best of luck with the game!!

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    1. Jonathan! This is a good topic for a post one day. Pure historical painting or historical with artistic license. I found a Viking warband in triads with the brightest of colors. It visually was FANTASTIC! Some fellows don't like triads and bright painting. Some insist and dark and smokey.

      I'm of two minds. I want to be historically correct but I also want to paint something that is visually pleasing to the eye.

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  17. Great stuff Monty, a certain amount of exaggeration is required for figures to look good on the table I think, if the painting is too 'realistic' they tend to get lost. It's a fine line. These are lovely.

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    1. :-) I always want to come down on the side that you're on! Thanks and I appreciate your observation.

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