I gave the Ango-Danes a try in Saga and fell in love with their battleboard the first time out. I played them slow, loading my opponent up with fatigue. My opponent loaded his board and went all in for a knockout punch. I not only survived, I also swept his fatigued units right off table. Predictably, I was hooked!
So whats the accidental part? I just put the Ango-Danes together last week and they were supposed to sit and wait their turn. Then, my wife and I streamed the
fabulous Vikings series on The History Channel. I could fill a post with the reasons I loved the series. The short version is it fired my imagination and I couldn't let these figures sit with such good inspiration. So I'm rushing the warband to the finish line.
8 Huscarls: Tough looking hombres with a nice mix of shields. I've started using
Tajimal Miniautres tufts as a changeup from the silflor tufts I usually use. Excellent product and if you buy 4 or more packs, shipping is free!
8 Huscarls with Dane axes: These fellows get a +1 to hit due to the 2 handed axe and suffer a 1- to their armor value due to no shield. They'll be the heavy hitters in my A-D warband.
Prime black, drybrush silver, block in, wash, add highlights and you're to the finish line. You'll notice that I traded my paint pots for glass. I like how I can put a drop of water down and work my paint into it for just the right consistency. Colors mix easily in this setup as well so I think it's a keeper.
So, whats today's takeaway? That I'm easily distracted? No. That I don't have a life away from the painting table? Close, but still no. The takeaway is you
must watch the Vikings series. Check out the Season 2 trailer
HERE with a Viking on Viking scrum. If you're not already knee-deep in the Dark Ages, you will be after this series. And maybe, just maybe, Saga will call out to you as well. Don't say I didn't warn you!
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| Shieldwalls, axes, intrigue and something for the ladies... |
Love these A-D! Nice paintingjob mate!
ReplyDeleteThanks Yori!
Deletegreat painting, I second the new tuffs I use the same company excellent product
ReplyDeleteJames! With these tufts, you poke them down and they stay. No need for PVC glue so that's a big plus.
DeleteExcellent painting on the Anglo-Danes, very nice looking warband.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do agree that the Tajima1 tufts are superb.
Thanks Jonas! I think it was Loki's blog post that got me to order these up. Another reason why blogging is so great!
DeleteGreat goys and i love your shields !!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I saw your greenstuff mods on your Vikings and WOW! I'm hard pressed to put a cape on a fellow so, very impressive work.
DeleteExcellent paintjob, love these axes well wielded!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil! The enormous 2 handed axes still freak me out a bit!
DeleteGreat looking warriors.
ReplyDeleteThanks Engel!
DeleteGreat looking Anglo-Danes!
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Thanks Christopher! And I just played my first game of DB this weekend. We liked it well enough we're going to launch into a campaign.
DeleteBelieve it or not it just gets better and better. It's truely addictive!
DeleteChristopher
I've heard good things about the series, but I'll have to wait until it comes out on Netflix to see it. And I think you know what I'll be watching it for:)
ReplyDeleteGlad to see your not painting directly from a paint pot. I always use a wet palette and I love it. It's super cheap too. Some wet paper towels covered with baking paper. The nice thing about using the baking paper is that I never have to clean it. When it gets too much pant on it, turn it over, use the other side and then toss it!
Hi Anne and thanks for that. I'm a doof. By paint pot, I meant the 6 dimple thing. Not really a painting tray...what is the right name for it? I use Vallejo so I'd never work right out of the jar.
DeleteI could really use a break to shake things up. Is there a Udeny course for painters? ;-)
Yah, I can not wait for season 2, great looking figures by the way. Bernard Cornwell's Uthred series is also very encouraging.
ReplyDeleteJohn
John! With the success of Season 1, it looks like they got a bit more $ for the battle scenes. Looks wicked! And I do need to go back to the Cornwell series.
DeleteWhat make are the figs Monty? GB?
ReplyDeleteFMB
All Gripping Beast. They do have a great Dark Ages lineup!
DeleteFabulous! And yes, that is a great show! Thanks for the link to the grass tufts, I'm going to order some of those. :) Have a good one Monty!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonathan! For me, the free shipping closed the deal. Good luck!
DeleteGreat looking warband, Monty - the kite shield along with the other round types really make them look unique. Best, Dean
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean! With the different shield types, I'll be able to morph one large force from an Anglo-Dane warband to a Viking one.
DeleteNice to heare that you liked to play with the Anglo-danes.
ReplyDeleteI haven´t seen the Viking serie, must give it a try, cool action in the trailer, but I would never let my Shieldwall charge like that...all cohesion lost...no use of the shield wall then;)
Best regards Michael
Thanks Michael, and I should have put a qualifier in that it's good but not dead on historically. It must have been like filming "300." A shieldwall? Too boring! Running shieldwall FTW!
DeleteI'm just grateful that they didn't slip in trolls, woolly rhinos and other items of fantasy!
They will come in season 3 ;)
DeleteOr you can have a look at the Skägglavefantasy project by a fellow Swedish blogger, but I´m sure you already have: http://kampgruppe-engel.blogspot.se/search/label/Sk%C3%A4gglavsfantasy
Best regards Michael
Amazing paintjob & basing! Your warband looks very impressive.
ReplyDeleteThanks Moiterei!
DeleteNice job on these Monty.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tarty, I appreciate it. And good luck with your big Impetus event!
DeleteMore outstanding work on these figures, Monty! The combination of vibrant colors, armor, and shield artwork really make this batch pop.
ReplyDeleteJonathan, thanks! I'm rushing them a bit but I do like them so far. I'm happy to be on the cusp of adding a new warband to my Saga stable.
DeleteWow, Monty, you really know how to throw those curveballs; here was I thinking that it was Joms all the way for now, then you pull this (admittedly heavily-armed and beautifully-painted) rabbit out of the hat!
ReplyDeleteThese Huscarls are the business alright; speaking as a former Dark Age re-enactor, nothing says "watch me" like a 2-Handed Axe! Concentrates the mind wonderfully.
Re the 'Vikings' show, that's some trailer! Keith Flint from Prodigy gets it in the neck? Didn't see that coming!
I file 'Vikings' under 'guilty pleasures'; enjoyable viewing, but don't watch it for its historicity!
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ReplyDeleteThanks Ev! I loved the Joms but I didn't get to keep them. It did make me want a bunch of 2 handed axe fellows, and look how that turned out.
DeleteGreat observation. I'm just thankful that in the land of cr@p reality TV, theres something for me to watch. It has just enough flavor and facts to make me happy. But I'm not a re-enactor so for me, the bar is pretty damn low!
And yes, 'Vikings' is infinitely superior to the contrived world of so-called 'reality' TV. I watch 'Vikings' avidly each week. It looks like a million bucks, it's well-acted, and the fight scenes are top-notch, but some historical facts get, well, 'massaged' into shape a little to appease modern sensibilities.
DeleteThis is the unavoidable case with every single TV series or film with an historical setting, from British TV's Robin Hood, and films like 'Kelly's Heroes' in the 1960's and 1970's, to 'Deadwood', 'Rome', and 'Vikings' in our own time. Every era deconstructs and reinterprets history in light of its own experience.
If filmmakers mirrored every aspect of an ancient or medieval culture in their screenplays, people would be completely alienated by the characters and their actions, so different are their cultural values from those of today.
Notions of personal freedom and equality of the sexes are relatively new constructs in the span of human history. An environment where women have no control over their reproductive cycles is one in which they will be prevented from taking part in many aspects of 'male' culture by the simple fact that they are pregnant or nursing for much of the time. The pre-industrial world was a nasty place, and doubly so for women.
But if the only major problem with 'Vikings' is Mrs Ragnar appearing in the shieldwall, then I won't let it spoil the experience. I'd rather just suppress the nitpicky bits of my psyche and go along for the ride! In the words of an illustrious citizen of Minneapolis, Joel Hodgson, "Repeat to yourself, 'It's just a show, I should really just relax!'"
Re-enactors don't have any special insights, BTW; I remember one event where a young Irish chap told me with a straight face that the Celts, and particularly the Irish, were descendants of Atlanteans. Plus there are always more than a few women in the shieldwall at Dark Age events today, so as regards authenticity, 'your mileage may vary'!
But if re-enacting taught me one thing, it's that people really are transfixed by a Dane Axe or two on the other side. It's positively hypnotic!
; )
Ev! I must say that you've written the single best and most substantial comment EVER on my blog and that's no small feat. I think you've written the bones of a post for your blog. It is wonderful and thought provoking. Thank you for it!
DeleteI too am grateful to see something come at history and do it well. Each show sparks a conversation about history with my wife, which I enjoy greatly. My Dark Age history is thin but I can talk about similar practices from the ancient world and pull them forward to the Vikings.
I love the clash of cultures. It's so hard to imagine what it was like to have alien people appear on your shore who just kick your ass in every way. Over and over.
There is a fellow in the US I paint HYW for who is a reenactor. His tournaments include people from all over the globe who compete & scrum in knightly armor until the other side is knocked out, down, or concedes. I read an article about how many times the ambulance wailed at a meetup in Poland. INSANE! But he and his fellows love it. I could manage a shieldwall, with a shieldmaiden at my side but no hitting.
BTW I was the biggest MST3000 fan in the day (before kids). Joel and his troupe are geniuses. How did you stumble across this gem, if I can ask? Thanks Ev, and I've gone so long, I'm thinking I should have gone to email.
Andrew, you were the one who steered me in the right direction for them. Thanks for that!
ReplyDelete"...young Irish chap told me with a straight face that the Celts, and particularly the Irish, were descendants of Atlantean's "......my favourite bit.
ReplyDeleteI've got a friend who's involved in a reenactors medieval group, it seems they spend much of their time cooking large beasts over open fires and recovering from hangovers.....probably a little genuine reenactment going on here also. This activity is enjoyed by both sexes ( going off the photo's ) which is probably why I'm guessing it's reenacted on a regular basis with so much success.
Tarty! That sounds like fun. Good food, company and alcohol FTW!
Delete