Wednesday 2 January 2019

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Toon Realms" January 2019

Yewan Grove The Treeman WIPS - The Ent has been primed, shaded, dry-brushed (twice) and detailed
This month's themed attempt to try and reduce my overwhelming bevy of metal, plastic and resin miniatures will see me painting up a number of "Lucid Eye Publications" figures from their "Toon Realms", "Toon Supers" and "Toon Terrors" ranges. I've actually only recently discovered these extremely characterful creatures, so having purchased the odd few... ahem, dozen or three, I thought I would try and pigment them all during the current Ninth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

My plan is to actually complete enough models in order to run a series of "Dragon Rampant" skirmishes as part of a "Lord Of The Toons" campaign, so to that end I have begun earnestly working away on Yewan Grove The Treeman and four of his marvellously grumpy-looking Shrubs. These figures will allow me to field the 45mm tall Ent as a Greater Warbeast, and use his more diminutive-sized Entlings as part of his Reduced Model Unit.
Skeleton Swordsman WIPs - The Undead warrior has been primed, washed and repeatedly dry-brushed
Of course, I also plan on fielding some opposition for my Forces of Good to battle on the tabletop, and decided upon a Graveyard Dwellers army packed full of Skeleton Soldiers and lead by a Necromancer no less. The "Toon Realms" range carries a rather nice selection of Undead warriors, so to begin with I have bought and based eight of Lord Rascal's Skeleton Swordsmen to use as a Light Foot unit.

Ultimately, I will need to purchase a third blister so as to properly field a full-strength, twelve miniature strong unit. But for now I have simply started pigmenting a pilot piece to see whether my usual technique for painting bleached bone, which includes multiple dry-brushes of "Vallejo" Dark Sand and Dead White, is suitable for so cartoony a sculpt...
"Star Wars: Legion" WIPs - Chewbacca and two Wookie Warriors have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed
Lastly, I recently stumbled across a box of miniatures which I simply couldn't resist ordering, despite my best intentions not to 'get into' yet another "Star Wars" rule-set by "Fantasy Flight Games". However, having recently spent a little hobby time pottering over a partially-painted figure of Chewbacca for the Minnesota-based manufacturer's "Imperial Assault" "strategy board game of tactical combat", I was immediately taken with the sheer size and dynamic posing of their Wookiee Warriors Unit Expansion for "Star War: Legion".

Needless to say, I additionally succumbed to also buying the Kashyyyk killers' Chewbacca Operative Expansion as well, and have already assembled, primed and dry-brushed all five wookies. Whether this will be the start of a slippery slope into wargaming "thrilling infantry battles in the Star Wars universe" I cannot say. It would though, seem silly not to at least pick up a box or two of Imperial opposition at some point in the near future...

14 comments:

  1. Great start on the Treeman Simon, the Skeleton is looking good as well.
    Very nice looking wookies, but I'm doing well and not succumbing to another gaming system, will stick with my IA scale models. I do hope that Fantasy Flight keep supporting both systems

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    1. Thanks very much Dave, I've actually already managed to finish both Yewan and his Shrubs, as well as the first Skeleton, so am currently cracking on with the rest of the Undead Swordsmen unit.

      I was desperately trying to stay away from "Star Wars: Legion", but my goodness the Wookie sculpts are absolutely outstanding imho, and I'm really hoping to be able to field a pure Wookie force at some point in the future. Perhaps my frequent postings will tempt you? ;-)

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    2. the only part of Legion I would look at is the rules system, if they had made the models the same scale as IA, I would have been more interested, as they would have fit in with either system and been more versatile

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    3. Yes. I can certainly see how soul-destroying it would be to have to start again from scratch with the "Star Wars: Legion" sculpts; especially as a few are similar to those of their "Imperial Assault" counter-parts.

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  2. A good start to the New Year. There is something very cartoon-like about those skeletons but I do like them.
    I see Dave is exerting his Force powers to get you into buying "Star Wars" figures. He's a wily old Jedi, for sure, LOL!

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    1. Cheers Bryan. The "Toon Realms" stuff is very painter friendly, imho, and I'm enjoying the sculpts enormously. It's very unusual for me to buy two boxes of models, as I have with the wookies, and paint them up straight away, but that's precisely what I've done. As you say, it may well be due to Dave's mind tricks, so perhaps he is the Sith Lord, Emperor Stone ;-)

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    2. I can't be sith I don't have yellow eye's ! LOL
      " PLAY MORE STAR WARS ! "

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  3. Lovely work Simon, but the Wookies have caught my attention. Mine are on order and due to arrive any day soon! :)

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    1. Thanks Michael. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Wookies at all. Indeed, I've been so taken with mine that they're already up on the AHPC website ;-)

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  4. Good start to the year Simon, those Wookies look really nice, butt he Skeleton is my fave of the bunch! I might have to look this Lucid Eye site (just look mind you!).

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Cheers Roger. "Lucid Eye" have just posted about some of their latest minis from their "Toon Terrors" range - excellent stuff!!

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  5. What a great set of minis! That Freeman is sublime, what a great sculpt and you have really brought him to life. Cracking job so please hurry and post the finished article. The toon skeleton is lovely too, and he is looking ace as well. Those wookies are brilliant, you are doing a great job on them. They were the only Star Wars Legion models I didn't own, but your postings and painting has made me order them. Now I just have to crack on and paint them all!

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    1. "I meant Treeman, damn autocorrect!!" - LOL Undercoat. The "Toon Realms" stuff are due to a large posting next week, now the finished articles have been submitted to the AHPC, as will the Wookies too. Those "Star Wars: Legion" minis are some of my faves of all time, so its been a blast painting them.

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