(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Savage Mini-Crate" November 2019

"King Conan - The Savage Minicrate VIP Mini"

This month's themed attempt to try and reduce my embarrassing backlog of metal, plastic and resin models will focus upon my efforts to paint the first of my figures to arrive from “Privateer Press” as part of their “Savage MiniCrate: Heroes and Villains of Robert E. Howard” range. As a massive fan of the Thirties Texas-born American author, and a wargamer who has yet to experience the “service that delivers exclusive, limited-edition miniatures directly to players”, this line of fantastic-looking sculpts seemed a great, if rather expensive, opportunity to enjoy two aspects of our great hobby simultaneously.

Disconcertingly though, the road to receiving Solomon Kane, King Conan and Dark Agnes has been far from smooth, with my purchases being significantly delayed by over a month due to “Privateer Press” wrestling with "some technical issues with the software we use to manage subscriptions while also being in the middle of a massive company move”. To make matters worse, when my late models did finally arrive they came wrapped in an envelope as opposed to being boxed in a mini-crate, as apparently the promised packaging doesn’t fit though European letterboxes. Hardly the V.I.P. experience I paid for… 

"Privateer Press" WIPs - Solomon Kane and Dark Agnes

To be fair “Privateer Press” have apologised “for any delays or inconveniences” I’ve experienced, and provided “a unique, one-time code for $10 off any purchase from the Privateer Press Online Store… until the end of 2020”. But the manufacturer’s “online store is currently experiencing delays” due to its aforementioned factory move and its minimum shipping cost for items to get across the Pond is $14.25. As a result this entire situation has arguably proved even more frustrating than my most recent dealings with “Black Tree Design”, and I certainly don’t plan on funding any extension to my initial six-month mini-crate programme plan.

Fortunately, both the multi-part sculpts and their corresponding collector’s cards are excellent, with the figures containing plenty of character, as well as some deeply gouged contact surfaces for my super-glue to latch onto during assembly. However, as a final disappointment, Kane and Agnes were accompanied by two 30mm circular lipped bases which meant that neither fancifully-posed figure actually stood flat upon their stands, but rather frustratingly had a foot perched on top of the lip. I’m not a fan of this look, so subsequently re-based the pair onto 40mm bases instead.

October 2019 - "Black Tree Design" continues to prove very popular despite its significant postal delays

Painting wise, the past four weeks have proved to be my most productive October ever, and as a consequence I have already attained my annual goal of achieving 1,000 points of painted models (approximately 200 x 28mm figures) with two months to spare. Part of this productivity was understandably due to the completion of five (more) Borg drones by “Modiphius Entertainment” for “Zomtober” 2019, whilst yet another dalliance with “Black Tree Design” and their “Doctor Who” range didn’t hurt my overall output either.

Nonetheless, the biggest contributor to my 'bumper crop' was another glut of repurposed plastic miniatures by "Wizkids". Exclusively focusing upon super-villains and evil monsters this time around, these pre-painted "Heroclix" have dominated my hobby-time for as long as I can remember, and will doubtless feature strongly during November now I have acquired some substantial reinforcements from the recently released "Marvel" The Uncanny X-Men set...  

"With These New Battle Droids We Built For You..."

"...You'll have the finest army in the galaxy."

These four 28mm scale plastic "Wizards Of The Coast" Super Battle Droids are all miniature number 32 from the company's now out of production "Star Wars Miniatures" range. "An advanced battle droid used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars", these B2 super battle droids made their first appearance during the Battle of Geonosis in George Lucas’ 2002 American epic space opera film “Attack Of The Clones”.

Having re-based each of models onto 25mm round bases, they were all primed with a coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and subsequently treated to two layers of Leadbelcher. I then heavily washed them with "Citadel" Nuln Oil before dry-brushing them with (more) Leadbelcher.

Aztec Style Serpent Statue WIPs - The totem has been primed, washed and dry-brushed

Initially, I was actually tempted to leave the Baktoid Combat Automata-built robots at that, but having looked more closely at some of their 'on-screen' counterparts, took the opportunity to significantly darken their waists with a further application of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and 'spot' a light-emitting diode on their chest using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

In addition to pigmenting a quartet of Super Battle Droids I have also been making some steady progress on a piece of scenery by "Wargames Terrain Workshop" for my "Conan - Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of" project. Dave Stone's formidable-looking Aztec Style Serpent Statue should definitely fit the bill for any scenarios featuring Serpent Men or hooded cultists as it smacks of the Hyborian Age's Stygian serpent-god Set. 

Skulltaker WIPs - The Herald of Khorne is slowly having all his intricate details 'picked out'.

 I've actually settled down to work on this piece a few times in the past, but on this occasion have finally managed to get past its simple "Vallejo" Dark Grey undercoat by using the formidably-sized totem as a testing site for my recently arrived "Citadel" Small Layer Brush; which came courtesy of "Hachette Partworks Limited" and their "Warhammer 40,000: Conquest" magazine. I still haven't made my mind up as to whether I'll actually 'fork out' and buy any more of the "hand made, with pure sable bristles" brushes, as I still much prefer my ever-trusty "Winsor & Newton" University series when it comes to applying the fine black detail lines I tend to rely upon with my miniature painting.

Lastly, I have made some significant inroads on my "Finecast" model of Skulltaker for "Age Of Sigmar". Most of the work on the Bloodletter's numerous skull trophies has been completed, and I now just need to patiently work my way up the miniature, tidying up the legendary Herald of Khorne's significant gold trim as I go...

"The Dead Do Not Rest Easy In Dracula's America..."

 "Refugees from back East begin to flood the West in ever-greater numbers in a bid to escape the Terror."

These three 28mm metal Zombie Gunfighters can be purchased as Code OW010 from "Wargames Foundry", and are my latest submission for this year's Zomtober challenge. "Hard To Kill" and "Fearsome", enemy models who wish to fight these models whilst playing "Osprey Games" Weird Wild West rule-set, must first "pass a 1 Die Nerve Test or suffer a -1 Die Modifier on its Fight Tests" even when the brain-chomping cowboys are "Down!"

The first of these gun-toting zeds seems to bear a strikingly strong resemblance to the "folk hero of the American Old West" known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, and was primed with "Vallejo" White. His trousers and boots were subsequently painted using Heavy Green and Heavy Sienna respectively, and both of these areas were then treated to a coat of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I 'picked out' his neckerchief with "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and his battered hat with Charred Brown. Again, these areas were later shaded with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Foul and hungry creatures follow in their wake." 

For the one-eyed undead marksman, sporting a fabulously impressive moustache, I pigmented his suit using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and highlighted a couple of wriggling maggots found squirming about his head with "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and a dab of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshade. I also darkened some "Vallejo" Heavy Blue with a touch of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and carefully highlighted the ghoul's hair with the mix.

The third pistol-carrying cadaver, who disconcertingly is not actually advertised by "Wargames Foundry" as being part of their Zombie Gunfighters blister and resultantly 'bumps' the code's contents up to seven miniatures, had his vest painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. In addition, this bowler hat was given a coat of "Vallejo" Charred Brown, whilst his shoes and holster were 'picked out' with Heavy Sienna; all these areas were then washed using "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Conan WIP - The "Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago" Savage has been primed "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand

I created the vivid green look of all three of the zombies' flesh by initially using a layer of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, and subsequently washing it with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green, Carroburg Crimson and a little Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". In addition, I picked out some of the bullet wounds and gashes with "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and treated these areas to a generous wash of more "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. As a final 'touch' all the living corpses' firearms and ammunition belts were given a coat of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

Sticking with "Osprey Games" rules, my "Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago" Nickstarter pledge by "North Star Military Figures" has arrived. Amongst the plastic crewmen, large lizard and snapping turtle I bought, I also received the tabletop game's incredible sculpt of a Savage; a barbarian clearly ready "to tread the jewelled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet.”