Up today are Great Escape Games new figures for Dead Man's Hand. I normally stick to a First in First Out, or FIFO system for painting but these were too lovely to queue up. So for this week, it's LIFO!
First up is the Preacher, inspiration drawn from Clint Eastwood's character in Pale Rider. He's a key figure in one of the new DMH scenarios and yes, he's just as tough in the game as in the movie.
Next up is the undertaker set. Funny thing about painting the dead...it's not as easy as it looks! It took a few tries to get the skintone right and I eventually settled on the lightest fleshtone, topped with a purple wash. All the while, I was while singing "Streets of Laredo." Poor cowboy, where did you go wrong? Challenging the Preacher to a draw was a poor idea. The coffins are by Frontline Wargaming.
Last up are the dead. There's a set for each of the four factions in DMH. I did check my painting from last fall to match the color schemes. It seems I've found a reason to start keeping a painting diary.
And here's how they looked last weekend, with British paras waiting impatiently in the background.
DMH is quickly learned and played, going well with a beer. The 2 minor scenes building up to a Big Showdown is simply brilliant. You can lose both minor scenes and go into the showdown with only a small handicap. The scenes are a great way to build a narrative and suspense. What's not to love?
I can't wait to get these figures on the table today. Every time Hugh brings DMH out, we get a steady stream of admirers. Win, lose or draw, it's great to meet fellow gamers, tip a beer and get a game in.
I'll close today with Marty Robbins' "Big Iron." His album, Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, is perhaps the greatest collection of Western songs ever recorded. +5 points to the artist who donned the album cover in pink!
It's the finish line for another SAGA warband. I turned the warlord that comes with the Norse Gaels pack into a bannerman. With both hands tucked behind a shield, he'd have made a non too threatening warlord. The lovely banner is by LBMS.
Last of the Norse Gaels hearthguard. I've looked but cannot find the name of the loincloth-like protective kit these fellows are wearing. I assume it's a Dark Ages protective cup?
While the Norse Gaels are an older line of Gripping Beast figs, the rough spots in some of them were surpassed by their character and energy. Now I need to get these fellows out for a "test drive."
I've put my 15mm Later Hungarian army up for sale at the top of my blog. The poor fellows have not seen the light of day so off they'll go. No worries, I've got loads of unpainted lead coming in the mail to me right now. The seller told me one of my boxes weighs 19 lbs so I think it's safe to say I'm on my way to building a lead mountain!
Up today is a run that finishes out the ancient Spanish army I sold in January. All Xyston figures and once again, Xyston is a joy to paint.
First up are 16 bases of Celtiberian Scutarii heavy foot. To set them apart from their Iberian breathren, I brought in dull yellow for tunics and bright yellow & runes for shields. I'm quite pleased with how they look ranked up. This seals the deal. I must find a partner for painting and playing Iberians and/or Celtiberians in 28mm.
I also painted up a small batch of Scutarii medium foot. These fellows were painted to match the 42 bases of Iberian Scutarii I painted up previously.
With this, all of my 15mm painting is done and it's back to 28mm.
