My customer, Nick Wilker, sent me some photos of his Polystyrene Castle adorned with parts from me.
I am very pleased to see this but also sad because it reminds me to remove my digit and make a set for myself. AND paint it!
This is a Kickstarter that I have backed. Ian Miller has produced a lot of imagery that has influenced Warhammer and the original artists behind it.
You can see more about his work here www.ian-miller.org and here www.instagram.com/edwindorf
For a collector of Oldhammer and a fan of his work this is definitely worth jumping on board for. For more details and to back the project, go here
The most excellent OS Miniatures company has a new Kickstarter.
More Gnomes!
As you know I have a great love for these figures and can’t wait to get my hands on this new unit and extras.
Please go and support it.
There are things that I like. Sculpts by Bob Olley and Kevin Adams. Gnomes from Ols School Miniatures. And parts from Ramshackle Games.
http://www.ramshacklegames.co.uk
I don’t know what it is, but when I get a box of bits from Curtis my imagination gets fired up. This part might fit well with this, ooh and then if I add this etc. etc.
I’ve known about Ramshackle Games for about ten years, maybe a touch more. I started off getting some fantasy models.
In my Lead Mountain I have a mahosive squiggoth-like creature which is destined to be for my Orc Overlord.
Then a few years back Ramshackle Games had a Kickstarter for sci fi troopers. This was my starting point for my necromantic “Not Imperial Guard”.
Ramshackle also make vehicles. Here is my command APC.
Later Ramshackle ran a Kickstarter for the parts to assemble Jet Bikes. Obviously I sucumbed. I have only constructed one so far. Painting it would be nice.
Then I have recently been in the mood to bash up some tankettes for my Orks. Curtis, the ever obliging, helped.
Very recently I ordered some parts to make up a robot walker type machine. In the box was included a few other bits and bobs. This one was a personal project of Curtis’s for his Realm of Chaos warband. I saw it and it called out for a little floating platform. A sort of mini Slann.
Here is the walker.
And it is accompanied by a floating sensor/gun platform. Based on a Kinder Egg with extras from Ramshackle.
If you haven’t as yet come across Ramshackle Games do have a peek at the website. There is bound to be something there for you. Would free world-wide shipping be an incentive?
Just say I sent you
This is the first project from this year.
You may remember I have been growing closer ties with The Old School Miniature Company. These ties will continue to grow. I have reviewed my sales from this blog and they have amounted to zero. When it is time to renew my contract in March I’m not going to pay for the additional functionality, but settle for a more streamlined site and save myself seventy Euros. I’ll keep the dot com this year as I have had cards made up with that address, Next year I will get my own site and save more money. Maybe. OS Miniatures have their own shop and I have been getting a few orders from it. So for me it’s a lot easier to make one parcel stuffed full of bits and post it off and let them do the marketing, which I suck at, etc.
Anyway back on topic.
A while back OS miniatures did a Kickstarter for a Gnome army suitable for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. This came complete with Army Lists for Third Edition and Sixth Edition. They looked like a nice fun army and Jamie from OS Miniatures obliged me with a set.
I’ve painted them in a quick and dirty style. Base colours, a wash and highlights on the flesh. The banners probably took more time than the units they are with. The image is scanned from a book. Resized in Photoshop and printed out in BW on my laser printer then painted. Each base is magnetised and the movement trays are from a big batch of Micro Arts Studio that I got on the cheap from Troll Trader. The grass tufts and flowers are made by me and will soon be on sale at OS Miniatures.
I made a start today on some trapdoors and single doors.
Next week I’ll do the double castle doors.
Recently I got a parcel containing some miniatures from The OS Miniatures Company.
https://www.facebook.com/OldSchoolMinis1985/
This is a company aiming to fill the gaps in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle army books. Obviously with an old school feel.
So here are some images of what I have managed to paint so far.
A cheeky little chappie blowing his own trumpet
A Chaos Barbarian. This is part of a challenge to be completed before Christmas.
A Chaos Dwarf Arse Cannon.
Test paint
A Work-in-Progress shot of the whole group of Alpine Dwarfs
This is a follow on from the prototype in the last post. There are some minor adjustments to be made, but I’m just about there. I did misunderestimate the amount of roof tiles needed. The cut time is approaching an hour which is going to bump the price up, even at minimum wage.
Well I haven’t been painting prolifically as I have been mostly working on the house.
I joined a Facebook group called 1houranight which sets monthly targets and this has been keeping me motivated.
Anyway here is a selection of work. Apologies for the variable quality of photos, one of this year’s targets is to set up a little photo set-up so I can take decent photos.
The Adventurer, his Concubine, his Accountant and his Bodyguard.
These are from Moonraker Miniatures and are part of my Rouge Trader collection.
This was a Christmas present.
It’s from Mirleton. I was disappointed to find out that there is only one pose of this as I wanted a small unit of Skaven cavalry.
Another Christmas present a Female Orc from The Dice Bag Lady aka Bad Squiddo Games.
This is from Scibor and I bought it because a friend of mine is really into Dwarves. Seriously into them. And the thought of one of his little men consorting with one of the hated enemies will drive him to dispair.
This one is from Spellcrow I think.
This is Ozzy. He was a giveaway from Casting Room Miniatures. An offshoot of Foundry. Sculpted by none other than Kevin Adams. This plus a sale and free postage was too good an offer to pass up.
This is a test paint for my Imperial Guard Ogryn unit.
Some armour for my Imperial Guard. I think I may have gone over the top with dust and mud.
This is from Kromlech. They are doing some very characterful Orks and Goblins. I have my eye on some more Goblin Pirates.
Anyway that is a round up of most of what I’ve painted. That I can remember. Sometimes I am getting a bit “Senior”.
It’s been a while, and it gets worse everyday thinking I must add some more content. And then you don’t. And then the guilt builds up. So I am biting the bullet and adding a bit more content. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the editor when using a iPad was decidedly arsey.
This is the next stage for my painting, consistency in basing. I have, now, several armies each with an individual look, so it is important that the units in each army have some cohesion in basing style.
I am already recording what paints I use in a journal.
This piece of wood has been laser-cut with spaces for some 30mm bases that I don’t intend to use. The plan is to make up these bases as I make my armies and record what I have done in my journal so I will have a written record and a visual one.
I also want to experiment with other basing techniques and record the successful ones for future use.
This year there are two products of note.
The first is something you wouldn’t normally think of: yoghurt pot lids.
As I have two boys with rapacious appetites I tend to buy half litre pots. They come with plastic lids for resealing. Presumably the manufacturers don’t consider that their product will be consumed in one sitting. Anyway they make ideal one shot palettes, especially when using oil paints. I don’t have to worry about cleaning up, I just toss it in the recycling.
The second product is a paint from Vallejo, Dark Blue Grey.
I have been using it a lot on my Imperial Guard Army and have started using it on my fledgling High Elf Army. I wanted to steer away from the standard Games Workshop blue and white and head for more sea-like greys and blues. This clour just fits the bill.
It’s arrived at last! And it’s huge! Flippin’ huge!
I am of course talking about the Heresy Dragon. I ordered it before Number Two Son was even thought of.
Andy, the creative genius behind Heresy, has had an absolute nightmare producing this. Originally he thought it would take a couple of months to produce. Since then…
http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=260
Here is a scale shot with a 28mm figure just to give you an idea.
The pity is that now it has to go back into the box for a couple of months until my man-cave is set up in our new house.
Did I say, “New house”? Yes, I did. More on that to come.
Image copyright Heresy and is used totally without permission.
As I said previously, painting has more or less ground to a halt. Not that I haven’t been productive in other areas. My main push was to get stuff ready to sell at the Austrian Salute in March.
That was quite tiring and on the day itself I suffered with fatigue and a nasty gum infection, so I didn’t really see the day in a positive way. I made the grand sum of three Euro but the guy next to me, from Templates and Widgets, also selling some laser-cut accessories told me that at his first show he didn’t sell anything.
A far better report of the show, with pictures, has been written by Sigur of Battlebrush Studios
http://taleofpainters.blogspot.co.at/2015/03/show-report-austrian-salute-2015.html
A 180 degree view of the show.
Number One Son looking after business
Treelady from Ultraforge Miniatures for my Albion Army.
I didn’t manage to do much over December, I wasn’t very inspired and this shows it. There are bits i am happy with and bits that are a bit bland and ho-hum. It was good practice with the airbrush getting some highlights and shadows.
Finally got round to varnishing these chaps and putting the final touch, bloodied (Tamiya clear red) crosses on the shields.
So, Daggerandbrush, here they are.
In the background you can see the Tree Lady and a unit of Ratling Snipers.
Can’t seem to shake off the Winter Blues, hopefully things will pick up soon. We are going for a second viewing on a house and if it proves acceptable then I can start properly on my “Man Cave”. There is enough space, upto 650 square meters which includes a space that was used for cheese making. Big enough for the Wife’s cookery school.
(sorry, no balloons)
Olleys Armies Miniatures Blog, News and Workbench
Just a little bit about my hobby activities.
Let's build.
a maker, a teacher of making
Wargaming made simple and fun!
In a world of poems, words steal love and put it on a blackboard
The adventures of my Greenskins, Dwarfs, and Bretonnians
A game designer's view of gaming
I play for fun... all else I take seriously
Collecting and Playing Orks
A Miniature Wargaming Blog
Turning Over a New Leaf
Fantasy, sci-fi and historical miniature gaming
Miniature painting, wargaming terrain tutorials, reviews, interviews and painting guides
A Gaming Podcast
Miniature painting and gaming from under the stairs
Custom Creations from Aaron Verbal Arcand
A fantasy war gamer grumbles into his beer.
My time well wasted
A wargamers hobby blog
Delving into Wargaming, Miniature painting and Modelling, History and other related topics
Miniature wargaming and the occasional zombie
Wargaming
A YouTube channel about tabletop wargaming and the miniatures hobby, mostly.
a site for those who studied and taught glass at CSM as well as glass enthusiasts
Video Games, Comics, and Shenanigans.
An old git talking about toy soldiers and enormous wobbly breasts
genuine grumpy old tin 