My prior Spanish warband was Gripping Beast Normans painted in a yellow and red color theme. I much prefer these Crusader Miniatures. If you're going to paint Spanish, do have a look at Crusader! I used Stronghold Terrain's metal bases with rare earth magnets. Love 'em, they really hold fast to the bottom of my transport boxes!
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Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Spanish for SAGA
Cry Santiago and let slip the javelins of war! My Spanish warband for SAGA is done. Mustering across the table are 2 warlords, 12 Caballeros, 32 Jinetes and 10 footmen. The warband is made up of El Cid Crusader Miniatures with some Gripping Beast Arabs for an "Andalusia mercenaries" look.
My prior Spanish warband was Gripping Beast Normans painted in a yellow and red color theme. I much prefer these Crusader Miniatures. If you're going to paint Spanish, do have a look at Crusader! I used Stronghold Terrain's metal bases with rare earth magnets. Love 'em, they really hold fast to the bottom of my transport boxes!
The Spanish will travel to Chicago for the US SAGA Grand Melee in March. I'm going to pair them with my buddy John R's Milites Christi in the Doubles Tournament. The Spanish are not good at melee and in a melee game, that makes them tricky to run. The Milites will be the hammer while my Spanish will annoy and trip up opponents with out-of-turn activations via Iberia. Hammer and rapier, it should be a fun combination!
My prior Spanish warband was Gripping Beast Normans painted in a yellow and red color theme. I much prefer these Crusader Miniatures. If you're going to paint Spanish, do have a look at Crusader! I used Stronghold Terrain's metal bases with rare earth magnets. Love 'em, they really hold fast to the bottom of my transport boxes!
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Soviet Naval Infantry
Nothing lights a fire under my brushes like a tournament. I'm in a Bolt Action event this weekend with a historically-themed list. My theme is the 83rd Naval Rifle Brigade in the Crimea, 1942. I’ve always been fascinated by the 350,000 Soviet sailors repurposed to fight on land. Naval Infantry were the best troops in the Crimea and their stubbornness earned them the nickname “Black Death.”
The 83rd Naval participated in the Red Army’s first major amphibious landing. With only two weeks planning, they were loaded onto a makeshift flotilla including fishing vessels to cross the Kerch Straights. Whaleboats dumped them on a frozen, remote beach with the goal of linking up with 4 other landings on the Kerch Peninsula. As they waded ashore, some men drowned in the surf or fell to hypothermia. Despite the abysmal start, the 83rd spotted Germans gathering near the beachhead and launched a vicious spoiling attack. The amateur amphibious landings succeeded in deposited the 51st Army on the Kerch Peninsula where they took up a defensive position. This second front took some pressure off the besieged city of Sevastopol. Due to bickering and a series of incompetent actions between Kozlov and the Front commissar, the 83rd was nearly destroyed with the rest of the Soviet forces during Manstein’s Operation Bustard Hunt. Three armies, 21 divisions, 176,000 men, 347 tanks, and nearly 3,500 guns were lost to the German offensive. The remains of the 83rd were evacuated. The reconstituted 83rd played a crucial role in the Caucasus by stopping the Germans at the Proletary Cement Factory in Novorossiysk, 8/9 September, 1942.
Figures all Black Tree Design (helmets) and Warlord Games (Naval caps). I also finished two units of Naval Tank Hunters and a Maxim MG unit that I left them out of the photo.
Now that I can field 2 platoons of Naval Infantry plus supporting options, my ever-growing Soviet force will take a rest. Then its back to my Spanish for Saga!
The 83rd Naval participated in the Red Army’s first major amphibious landing. With only two weeks planning, they were loaded onto a makeshift flotilla including fishing vessels to cross the Kerch Straights. Whaleboats dumped them on a frozen, remote beach with the goal of linking up with 4 other landings on the Kerch Peninsula. As they waded ashore, some men drowned in the surf or fell to hypothermia. Despite the abysmal start, the 83rd spotted Germans gathering near the beachhead and launched a vicious spoiling attack. The amateur amphibious landings succeeded in deposited the 51st Army on the Kerch Peninsula where they took up a defensive position. This second front took some pressure off the besieged city of Sevastopol. Due to bickering and a series of incompetent actions between Kozlov and the Front commissar, the 83rd was nearly destroyed with the rest of the Soviet forces during Manstein’s Operation Bustard Hunt. Three armies, 21 divisions, 176,000 men, 347 tanks, and nearly 3,500 guns were lost to the German offensive. The remains of the 83rd were evacuated. The reconstituted 83rd played a crucial role in the Caucasus by stopping the Germans at the Proletary Cement Factory in Novorossiysk, 8/9 September, 1942.
Figures all Black Tree Design (helmets) and Warlord Games (Naval caps). I also finished two units of Naval Tank Hunters and a Maxim MG unit that I left them out of the photo.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Spanish for Saga
Or alternately, "out with the old, in with the new." I discovered Crusader Miniatures El Cid Spanish well after I'd painted my Spanish warband using Gripping Beast Normans. I fell in love with the Crusader figures the first time I saw them. With so much history to paint, it seems silly to repeat a project but that's whats happening here.
After putting in an order with Crusader, I set about locking in my new color scheme. My GB Spanish were done in yellows & reds. I tried yellow and black on these Spanish footmen for a test run. Overall, I'm pleased but I'll take the yellow down a notch.
I'm using a desert basing that matches my Moors so the two can be used against each other in Hail Caesar. In Saga, I can swap individual figures back and forth for a nice Reconquista look to the warbands.
With 33-41 horses to paint, I dug out a tutorial on the Metal Mountain blog for the oil wipe method. I was thrilled with the combination of speed and shading I achieved so the oil wipe method is a lock as well.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Dead Man's Hand
These lovely figures are the "Daughters of the West" set by Great Escape Games. Each is a character in her own right and that made these fun to paint. Its hard to come up with a back story when you're painting 70 figure warbands for SAGA but it worked for me here.
These fellows are part of the Dead Man's Hand Rogues collection. Speaking of a story, the Preacher looks to be channeling the abolitionist John Brown. I can't wait to get him out on the tabletop, even if it is just for a bit of color in a gunfight.
I've got two new SAGA warbands under way. The US Grand Melee is next March and I've got 4 months to paint and train up with a new warband. I'm split on taking the Spanish or Mutatawwi'a. Whatever I take, it'll be another epic event, courtesy of Eric Hagen and all the great players who turn out. This gaming life is a good one!
My friend John Stentz hosts a Halloween-themed game of DMH every October. We played "Dead Man's Hand, Dead Again" with Cowboys versus Zombies last year. This year was "Night of the Undead Man's Hand" with Outlaws versus Lawmen versus zombies. You read that right. Each turn, 3 zombies spawned from a grocery store in the middle of the table and moved to the sound of the nearest gun! It was a target rich environment with Oktoberfest beers, pumpkin pie and lots of laughs. It's a testament to the game that 3 years on, Dead Man's Hand in still in rotation and I'm already looking forward to our next Halloween showdown.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Norse Gaels Set Sail
I started painting my Norse-Gaels in January of 2014 and just finished them two weeks ago. 72 figures is a lot for a SAGA warband but I wanted all options. With new warbands in the painting queue and others resting, I put these up for sale. Since they went to a local player, I'll get to see them at our SAGA events. Bonus, the $ will fund my airbrush setup now that I've picked out my hardware.
The Gripping Beast & Footsore Irish figures mix very well. I recommend both for anyone painting Norse-Gaels. I painted up a warlord with Dane Axe and one without. A priest is very handy with this warband too. Hearthguard with Dane Axe and without. When running 20-30 warriors with Dane Axe, I tend to take my hearthguard without axes. I tend to leave my levy javelinmen at home. Maybe the new warlord will give them a workout? Warriors without Dane Axes are javelin-armed and have a lower armor class to shooting. Shooty warbands go after these lads first so be prepared. I do love the Footsore scuplt with the head! Warriors with Dane Axe. I like to max out on these. Buffed with abilities like Howling Axes and Slaughter, these fellows are deadly in 5 and 6 man units!
I took these Norse Gaels to my first SAGA Grand Melee and they performed very well. Painting and playing them was a blast but now they're off to serve a new warlord. Cheers, boys!
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Camel Caravan
I wanted a camel caravan for my SAGA Crescent & Cross baggage train. After a bit of searching, I chose this lovely set by Castaway Arts. After a long delay, I finally got them through the painting queue this weekend. They're not as exciting as fighting figures but they are quite colorful I think!
I also finished more Moors. These are Artizan Designs figures. When I run Moors, I use an all foot warrior build with 4 Naffatun. I activate every unit with "Song of Drums." Its the only trick I've got so far. One day, I'll figure out how to properly run Moors in SAGA but that day is not today.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
WW II Soviet Vehicles
My favorite things about WW II painting is the vehicles. They're a great change-up from my usual Dark Age painting and I turned to YouTube to learn weathering techniques. The variety of techniques is a bit overwhelming and I'm still learning.
T-34/85: My first tank went together fast. My mistake here was using two washes. After the first wash, I thought the tank looked too bright and after the second, it was too dark! I now prime my Soviet vehicles a lighter green to better show off weathering effects.
Lledo Diecast Truck: Pat's Wargaming with Silver Whistle blog showed us how to turn a cheap diecast into a sharp looking WW II vehicle. I bought a Lledo "Days Gone By" truck off eBay for $6. Primed black, painted and weathered up, I've got myself a transport for Mother Russia. Thanks Pat for leading the way on this very affordable option!
SU-76: I tried an improv here. I love "panel lighting" highlighs but I don't have an airbrush to achieve this effect. I tried to copy it by applying a thin glaze of light green on each panel, leaving darker green peaking around the edges. It looked pretty crappy in the early stages.
I've got a Rubicon T-34/76, a Warlord Games KV-2 and two GAZ trucks waiting for an airbrush. Buying an airbrush and all the things that go with it is so expensive that I keep pulling back at the last minute. Brush, compressor, painting booth, thinned paints, cleaner and on and on. With a steady hand and wallet, I'm going to make the plunge. Soon. Very soon.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
WW II Soviet Infantry
Last year, I took the plunge into painting and playing WW II with Chain of Command and Bolt Action. I enjoyed both rules enough to start a Warlord Games Soviet army. Assembling 60+ plastic figures was a tedious experience that reminded me I'm a painter and not an assembler. Right after finishing these, Black Tree Design had a 50% off sale on Soviets, making the cost of their metal figures nearly the same as the plastics. D'Oh! At that price, I bought enough BTD metals to paint up a 2nd Soviet army.
I was looking for shortcuts to get a large Soviet army on the table quickly and after a few tests, I settled on the following:
1. Prime with Plastic Soldier Company's Russian Tank primer (dark green).
2. Block paint in everything but the uniforms
3. Heavy wash with Army Painter Strong tone.
4. Highlights over the top including the uniforms and skin with 2 highlights. Fast but effective, it got the job done quickly.
Tank riders and some odds and ends figures.
Last up is a Warlord Games limited edition female sniper. I searched high and low for this figure until Rick Davis donated the figure to my army for free. Thanks Rick!
So how does my Soviet force do on the field of battle? Well, let's just say I run them about as proficiently as the early war Soviet officers.
Note: Google + comments disappeared off my blog this AM for no apparent reason. Troubleshooting this for hours in HTML, I managed to destroy my blog . I reinstalled an old template but I've lost my links to everyone's blog. I've turned on the in blog comments and I'll rebuild my links to all of my fellow bloggers sites in the future. So sorry! I'm so tired of this nonsense. Having a 5 year old blog has caught up with me with lots of crap and errors under the hood.
1. Prime with Plastic Soldier Company's Russian Tank primer (dark green).
2. Block paint in everything but the uniforms
3. Heavy wash with Army Painter Strong tone.
4. Highlights over the top including the uniforms and skin with 2 highlights. Fast but effective, it got the job done quickly.
The ZiS-3 looked too boring so I subsequently brought in some railroad ties piled up as cover.
I was reading about Soviet composer Shostakovitch and his
7th Symphony, composed during the siege of Leningrad. Shosty's story is
riveting. After experiencing early success, he was nearly swept up in the
purges. It all started when Stalin left one of his performances early. From there, Pravda denounced his work and
other artists were forced to criticize him. Shosty slept on his porch so his
family wouldn't see him hauled away in the middle of the night. The war and the
7th Symphony turned things around for him. The symphony was played in Leningrad
under the worst of conditions. It remains one of the most famous performances
in the history of classical music.
Since I was doing a Leningrad-themed army, I decided my
objective marker would be shout out to Shosty and his Leningrad Symphony. The piano is by 4Ground. The cobblestone is roughly done
greenstuff. I used a copy of the 1st
page of the 7th Symphony and a picture of Shosty himself. He's a dead ringer for Harry Potter to boot!
I previously discussed my 2 highlights and a wash technique for painting the Soviet Naval infantry. On the tabletop, I mix the helmet and cap fellows and deploy them as two squads.
Note: Google + comments disappeared off my blog this AM for no apparent reason. Troubleshooting this for hours in HTML, I managed to destroy my blog . I reinstalled an old template but I've lost my links to everyone's blog. I've turned on the in blog comments and I'll rebuild my links to all of my fellow bloggers sites in the future. So sorry! I'm so tired of this nonsense. Having a 5 year old blog has caught up with me with lots of crap and errors under the hood.
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